PEORIA, Ariz. — On the third Tuesday of last February, the lead owners of the Padres walked through a doorway at the Peoria Sports Complex and into the sunlight of a surreal morning. Earlier, executive chairman Ron Fowler and general partner Peter Seidler had issued brief remarks to a roomful of players. Now, they were stepping outside to meet with reporters. For Fowler and Seidler, it is an annual practice, observed before the first full-squad workout of each spring. But this particular morning was different.



While Fowler and Seidler were still inside the clubhouse, ESPN’s Jeff Passan hit send on a tweet that reverberated throughout the league: Superstar third baseman Manny Machado had agreed to sign with San Diego, ending one of the most prominent free-agent pursuits in baseball history. The leak caught the Padres off guard; the owners were still awaiting final word. Even during their private clubhouse visit, they had not confirmed that Machado was en...