Padres introduce new 5 Win Pass

Today the Padres introduced a brand-new ticket option for the month of June: The 5 Win Pass. Unlimited entry passes are the hot new trend this season. The Angels offered a spring pass covering all of April (minus Opening Day) for $49. The A’s have the best offer, getting fans into every game from June to September at just twenty bucks a month. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks were the first division rival to introduce such a plan, opening the doors at Chase Field for June and July at very affordable $50. The Friars plan is... less good.

To start with, the June pass to Petco is just a dollar shy of a Benjamin, making it twice as expensive as the offerings in Anaheim and Phoenix. There is a $20 upgrade credit included, but that still doesn’t make it comparable to other packages. But that’s not the worst part. The real dumb part of this offering is that the pass expires after the team wins five games at home. Given recent performances, that isn’t entirely likely, but the Royals and the Reds are both doing pretty poorly and coming to town early in the month.

But what’s the point in capping the pass at five wins in the first place? Even if the team magically wins ten in a row, fans aren’t going to start flooding back. If the pass ends up being done after five games, all you’ll have are some people bummed they didn’t get more out of it and empty seats where those fans were sitting. Follow the lead of the A’s and the Diamondbacks and sell some astronomically priced beer. It’ll be better for the fans and better for the balance sheet.