Padres eliminate 10-20 business office jobs in reorganization

Padres eliminate 10-20 business office jobs

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres have eliminated between 10 and 20 positions as part of what new CEO Jeff Moorad calls the first step of a reorganization of the team’s business operations.

Moorad wouldn’t provide the exact number or identify any employees who were laid off. He said the team would be adding positions in areas such as ticket sales and working with corporate partners and sponsors.

“What this is about is a reallocation of resources that is intended to give us the most economic flexibility when it comes to supporting the club on the field,” Moorad said. “The national economy, to be sure, has impacted how we do business and as we feel a need for a greater-focused work force in the area of revenue production.”

Besides the slumping economy, Thursday’s moves coincide with the team’s summer slump.

The rookie-laden Padres are last in the NL West and are 12-33 since June 1, the worst record in the majors over that stretch. Attendance is down an average of about 5,000 fans per game.

Moorad heads a group that bought about 35 percent of the team from John Moores in March. Among his partners is Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman. The group has up to five years to take full ownership.

He said the number of front office employees seemed “disproportionately high given the revenue base. As we have evaluated and those evaluations continue to evolve, in our view it became necessary to take some proactive steps that will make us a better baseball organization in the future.”