In an article written by Bob Nightengale of USA today, the Padres may cash in big with the new TV deal.

"And even the San Diego Padres— playing in the 26th largest market in baseball — are, pending MLB approval, poised to sign a new deal with Fox Sports that will guarantee them $75 million a year for the next 20 years. The deal was confirmed by two industry executives familiar with the contract but not authorized to speak publicly about its details." Full story here

A far cry from the $17-20 million that has been thrown around over the last couple months and much more than the $13 million deal with Cox.  What does this mean for Padres fans?  In the immediate future... nothing.  One would assume it would give the team plenty of money to retain talent and bring in an impact free agent, as opposed to older vets playing out their last days.

In the long run, it would seem like this is relative.  If the Padres, in the 26th largest market can earn this much scratch, how much will a team in a top 10 market receive?  Personally, I wonder if this means that my cable bill is going to jump $5- $10 a month?   I have plenty of questions shooting through my head right now, but at this moment, I'm wondering what Josh Byrnes could do with an additional $50 million dollars in payroll. This about sums it up for me...

08 May 2001 --- Exploding head --- Image by © John Lund/CORBIS

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