Hot Debt-Service Action!

Andy Warhol had it right. Photo by Jessica Hromas/Getty ImagesIt might seem like this week was yet another week of baseball purgatory, but a huge story came quietly out of the West Coast. Yeah, the Dodgers signed A.J. Pollack, but that’s not really moving the needle. No, I’m referring to the Padres opening an edited version of their books to reporters, a move which doesn’t sound very exciting but could teach us a lot about the dirty business of baseball. The San Diego Union Tribune covered it here, and I highly suggest taking a read through. Former managing editor and all-around good guy Craig Edwards also covered the implications of the finances here, and again, it’s worth a read. While Craig focused on the competitive aspects of the Padres’ spending habits, I have something different in mind. Buried in between useful descriptions of when the team might start spending money were allusions to how much money the team was spending servicing debt.

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