The San Diego Padres are already seeing dividends from their signing of Manny Machado.
According to the Padres’ president of business operations Erik Greupner, the two weeks since Machado’s signing have seen the team generate $3 million in additional ticket revenue, and they have sold “at least double” the amount of tickets they would typically expect to sell, via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
The Padres had jumps prior to 2015 and 2016, when the team had a busy offseason and hosted the All-Star Game, respectively, but never like this.
“Even in 2015 and 2016, we didn’t see a spike like we’ve seen this year in terms of demand,” Greupner said. “And frankly, it’s been maintained for a longer period of time so far than some of the spikes we’ve seen in the past. So, we’re encouraged that it’s really setting a new trend line for us this season in terms of demand for tickets and merchandise.”
Bryce Harper has had a similar impact on the Philadelphia Phillies’ ticket sales. It’s safe to say the big free agents are already having the intended off-field impact.
