Padres President/COO Tom Garfinkel called into XX Sports Radio (MP3) this morning to talk about upcoming promotions. He was just minding his own business when suddenly and without warning he was forced to refute Bob Nightengale's USA Today piece that makes the outrageous claim that the Padres are closing in on a 20 year deal worth $75 million a year.
And even the San Diego Padres— playing in the 26th largest market in baseball — are, pending MLB approval, poised to sign a new deal with Fox Sports that will guarantee them $75 million a year for the next 20 years. The deal was confirmed by two industry executives familiar with the contract but not authorized to speak publicly about its details
Garfinkel responded in his interview with new morning hosts Dave and Jeff.
"Well unfortunately they're [the numbers] not real. I wish they were that high."
He continued by saying that the Padres have the smallest television market in baseball in terms of geography and the number of viewers. The actual contract will come closer to doubling the amount from last year, which by my calculations will put the amount between $20-25 million a year.
The Padres are getting closer to announcing the TV deal, but parts of it are out of their control. The ultimate goal is to give everybody in San Diego to the opportunity to see Padres baseball.
UPDATE: Nightengale stands by his numbers: