Manny Machado Signing Drives $3 Million Ticket Sale Increase for Padres

San Diego Padres president of business operations Erik Greupner told Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com that the team has pulled in almost $3 million in additional ticket revenue since the team inked third baseman Manny Machado to a deal two weeks ago.

The 26-year-old Machado had 37 home runs and 107 RBI in 162 games for the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers last season. Naturally, the four-time All-Star and two-time Gold Glove winner should be a major attraction for a fanbase that hasn't seen a winning season since 2010 or a playoff appearance since 2006.

Machado, who signed a 10-year, $300 million contract with San Diego, is on a team with a bright future. Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report ranked San Diego's farm system No. 1 in the bigs.

MLB.com lists the Padres at No. 1 as well, with 10 players ranked on its list of the top 100 prospects. Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. is No. 2 overall, and MLB.com gives him an estimated MLB time of arrival of 2019. Provided he makes the leap this season, the Padres' left side of the infield could be garnering a lot of ticket revenue well into the 2020s.

San Diego likely isn't winning it all next year, and a postseason berth will be tough. Cracking the top two in the National League West will be hard since the 2018 NL champion Los Angeles Dodgers and 2018 NL playoff participant Colorado Rockies both look strong for 2019, too.

The Padres aren't projected to do that well this season—FanGraphs has them at 79-83, for example—but fans have more reason to be excited now than at any other time this decade. With Machado locked in through the 2020s and a crop of stars expecting to arrive soon, it's clear some fans want to jump on the bandwagon now before it starts getting fuller.