Padres owner: Leadership team has 'full support' despite disappointing season

San Diego Padres owner and chairman Peter Seidler gave his leadership team a vote of confidence despite missing the playoffs with the third-highest payroll in baseball.

"We entered 2023 with expectations that we would build on last year's NLCS appearance and contend for a World Series championship. We fell short of that goal," Seidler said Monday in a statement. "The Padres organization will learn from this season and emerge in 2024 with the pieces to compete for San Diego's first World Series title.

"Our current leadership team continues to have my full support, and I have asked them to perform a thorough assessment of our organization beginning today. We will make the changes necessary to play championship-caliber baseball for our extraordinary fans in 2024."

Padres president of baseball operations and general manager A.J. Preller is under contract through the 2026 campaign, while manager Bob Melvin signed a three-year deal in March 2022.

San Diego underachieved by going 82-80, finishing two games behind the NL's final wild-card spot and 18 contests back of the division-winning Los Angeles Dodgers. Preller traded for the likes of Juan Soto, Blake Snell, Josh Hader, and Joe Musgrove while handing out lucrative long-term extensions to Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, Yu Darvish, and Jake Cronenworth.

The Padres reportedly plan to cut their payroll from $253 million to $200 million for 2024. Snell, Hader, and right-hander Michael Wacha are all primed to enter free agency after the conclusion of this year's World Series. Soto can also test the open market after next season.