Padres owners Ron Fowler and Peter Seidler have publicly stated their desire that the Chargers remain in San Diego in the interest of the region maintaining its “major-league” feel.

But the city’s football team’s plan to build an East Village stadium, announced Tuesday, could cause some hassles for the baseball team that already occupies downtown. And the Padres need clarity.

“We’re friendly with the Chargers and friends with the ownership of the Chargers,” Seidler said Wednesday. “We’ll study the downtown proposal and talk to them privately about it. What we want is what’s great for San Diego and also what is best for the Padres. There is every likelihood that is possible with what is being talked about right now.”

However, the Padres don’t know much about what the Chargers are proposing. Speaking on the morning of the Padres’ first full-squad workout of spring training, Seidler said he hoped the sides would meet in the coming days and the Padres would get a clearer picture of the Chargers’ plan.


Traffic and accessibility during and after construction is a concern in an area already highly congested on game days. Parking around Petco Park is a challenge, and the proposed stadium and convention a few hundred yards away would eliminate at least one existing parking lot.

Too, the Padres do a bustling business staging non-baseball events (concerts, parties and convention gatherings) at Petco Park, to the tune of more than $10 million in 2015 revenue.

“It’s a big part of our business,” Padres president Mike Dee said. “We’ve worked hard to build that.”

While a new NFL stadium downtown would conceivably cut into that business, Dee said: “There is inventory coming through San Diego. San Diego is a major market. The city is big enough.”


Seidler reiterated he’s optimistic a Chargers stadium downtown is something the Padres can support. The team is simply in the same situation as many other parties, needing more information.