José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones entered their stewardship of the Padres with a bang.

Shortly before the couple walked into the auditorium at Petco Park for their introductory press conference, a song Jones recorded blared on speakers. The lyrics declared, “You know we’re all in, you know we’re all in, you know we’re all in … We’re gonna win, we’re gonna win, we’re gonna win.” 

That theme was reiterated time and again over the next 45 minutes as the couple took questions from the assembled reporters. They are all-in, and their goal is to win. It was a familiar refrain, but it came with a refreshing energy. 

Jones was the star of the press conference, speaking at length about the couple’s commitment, not only to the Padres, but also the city of San Diego. Her energy was infectious as she declared, “We are all in. It’s not lip service. We are absolutely committed to this organization and we are absolutely overjoyed.” 

Feliciano added, “Today is a dream come true. It’s an amazing day for us. We’re very grateful. Very honored to be here with you and to celebrate today as the newest members of the Padres family.”

Padres fans have heard all of this before. Peter Seidler spent years preaching the same gospel, and then backed it up with record spending. On his watch, the Padres went from being one of baseball’s worst organizations to one of its most ambitious. That investment paid off, as the Padres became a consistent contender and the stands filled up. San Diego has been among the top five MLB teams in attendance for five consecutive seasons. That makes Jones and Feliciano’s job simultaneously easier and more difficult. They don’t have to push San Diego to dream big anymore. They have to prove they’re willing to keep doing it. 

Feliciano did not seek to lower the sky-high expectations of Padres fans on Monday. 

“We need to win the World Series. It’s that simple,” he said. “That’s what we’re gonna do.”

The unanswered question is what being “all in” will look like in practice. When asked about spending, Feliciano had the air of a measured investor, while Jones showed boundless enthusiasm. 

When it came to payroll, Jones and Feliciano did not go into specifics and stopped short of promising a blank check. He said the Padres would operate within their means and always keep an eye toward the long-term health of the franchise before acknowledging, “At some moments … we’re going to be aggressive.” 

Jones was quick to jump in and add, “We are competitive. You don’t get to do what we do unless you are competitive. And it’s important for all of you all to understand that. We want to win.”

Feliciano co-founded Clearlake Capital in 2006 and has grown it into one of the world's largest private equity firms. He’s no stranger to franchise ownership, as Clearlake acquired Chelsea F.C. in May 2022. His more measured demeanor is counterbalanced by Jones's vibrant enthusiasm. The couple met while undergraduates at Princeton.

While Jones and Feliciano are buying a team, they seem keenly aware of the outsized place the Padres inhabit in San Diego. They are the only big-four franchise in town, and Petco Park has become the unofficial beating heart of the city. The couple says it is committed to that responsibility. 

“This is much more than just a financial investment. It’s an investment in a team, in a community, again, a city,” Feliciano said. 

“There’s a whole concept of a double bottom line,” Jones said. “A double bottom line being a return on investment is a financial investment, another part of that being a social, and I’ll say societal, and I’ll say city, and I’ll say community impact.”

The new owners’ energy has already made an impression inside the Padres clubhouse.

“I think they’re just excited for it, and me personally I love the energy that they bring … how passionate they are about it,” third baseman Manny Machado said. “They're committed to this organization, committed to the fans, committed to continue our goal, which is to bring a championship to the city.”

There will be plenty of time to determine whether the couple can deliver on its promises to the city and its fans, but Jones and Feliciano made one thing abundantly clear: they’re in it for the long haul. Their record $3.9 billion purchase wasn’t made with an eye toward flipping the franchise.

“It’s patient capital, and there is no exit,” Jones said. “José and I are answering to each other, but we’re also answering to the generations to come.”

Winning a press conference is infinitely easier than winning a World Series. Jones and Feliciano couldn’t prove anything on Monday, but they certainly didn’t run from the expectations Seidler created. 

The message was familiar: Spend aggressively. Dream big. Invest in San Diego. Bring home a championship. 

What felt different was the energy behind it. 

Now comes the hard part: living up to it.