The “5-Win Pass” the Padres unveiled Monday clears the eye test, but struggles on the sniff test. On the surface, it’s creative. On its face, baseball’s losingest team is rolling up the sales sleeves to stem the turnstile tide.

At simple periscope depth, though, cracks begin to reveal themselves.

Those who buy the pass to see the first 5 wins in June for $99 might attend as many as 16 games in the month, but as few as five. There are better deals sprinkled across baseball, all from teams winning more games.

This was a chance to truly, measurably illustrate that the Padres recognize fan hesitance during a slow, long-term rebuild where prices — from tickets to concessions – have outmatched the product.


This was a moment to wow.

It didn’t.

Other teams, like the well-above-.500 NL West rival Diamondbacks, unveiled a $50 plan for all 25 home games in June and July. That’s a guarantee of far more games for just $2 a shot.

Bigger billfold bargains exist, too — ranging from the Angels to the A’s.


In fairness, not all game or fan experiences can be determined by wins and losses alone. As always, a product’s value is what the market bears. The Padres offer game-day experiences that include some of the best food and drink options around with postcard-perfect views of San Diego Bay as dessert.

Ron Fowler, the Padres ever-forthright executive chairman, said he pitched the idea — while acknowledging a mix-bag of reaction.

“Some people like it. Some people don’t,” Fowler said. “Some people think it’s going to bring people out to cheer against the Padres (to guarantee more games). I don’t feel that way.

“I think we see this as something that’s a novel approach.”


On one hand, the Padres are doing something. On the other hand, it feels a little like offering someone in a smoldering kitchen an atta-boy for grabbing an extinguisher.

The Padres, with losses overwhelming wins, were ranked dead last among 30 MLB clubs for season promotions by CBSSports.com. The team continually (and many times, rightly) gambles on a sun-splashed day at Petco being worth more than baseball’s other dots on the map.

“We value our product more than I think maybe some of the other teams do,” Fowler said.

There’s more to this ticket plan, including $20 to use on seat upgrades. There’s also a modest incentive for team victories, with an additional $5 upgrade credit for each W.


This, though, feels like leaving a putt short. It’s a set of alligator arms, not quite getting to the check. It’s Wile E Coyote — an image of effort, doomed by a teetering boulder or finicky Acme rocket.

One of the biggest reasons to respect the idea, honestly, is that it came from Fowler. He’s smart. He’s successful. And refreshingly, he’s the ultimate straight shooter in a professional sports world pock-marked with spin doctors.

“It’s mine,” Fowler said of the idea. “I own it.”

And worth noting: Maybe it’ll work.


Fowler defends the team’s decision not to lower beer prices, for example, to lure customers.

“We emphasize family entertainment,” he said. “The lower beer prices and such, we’re not looking to encourage people drinking a lot of beer. We feel the way we handle beer sales is appropriate. We balance family entertainment and people having a good time at Petco.

“Specials like that are more minor league. I don’t see us doing that.”

Still, the Padres hover around 4,000 fewer fans per game than last season’s deflating run. And 2016 dipped lower than the season before that. Just once since the move to Petco have the Padres averaged less than they are now.


Plenty of fans understand and embrace the rebuild. That public-relations hurdle, to the Padres credit, has been wisely communicated and cleared. It seemed this season, however, offered a chance to do more — and do it sooner.

Everyone saw the win-loss mountain towering along the horizon.

Fowler said the promotional spark belongs to the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, who sold a 10-win package earlier this season.

“We think it will create some energy and excitement and a chance to sample the product,” he said. “We also think it’s affordable. We feel that coming to Petco and seeing the young players we’re going to build this thing around should be fun for a lot of fans.”


We’ll find out if it works.

This season provided a window for the Padres to shout that they get it, that the franchise fully acknowledges it’s a patience-begging work in progress. The team was positioned to create buzz away from a messy rebuild earlier and in a bigger way.

Instead, the boldest strokes belong to others.


Sports Videos

bryce.miller@sduniontribune.com; Twitter: @Bryce_A_Miller