SAN DIEGO -- The Padres might be bringing brown back after all.
In an episode of the "Beyond the Booth" podcast posted Monday morning, San Diego executive chairman Ron Fowler joined host Jesse Agler to discuss a number of issues surrounding the club -- one of which centered on research regarding the team's uniforms.
The Padres' uniform debate -- one of the hottest topics in San Diego -- might soon take a significant turn. Fowler hinted that he expects new brown uniforms and color schemes to be implemented by the 2020 season.
The team recently conducted "exhaustive" focus-group studies, which had been in the works for about six months, Fowler said. The results weren't overwhelming, but they leaned toward brown -- a color that was a staple of San Diego jerseys for the first 22 seasons of the team's existence.
"We are going to further test, probably within the next 60-90 days," Fowler said. "I would expect that brown will prevail in a side-by-side versus four uniforms. We will probably move in that direction hopefully for the 2020 season."
Since the Padres moved to Petco Park, blue and white have served as their primary uniform colors. They haven't used brown in a regular jersey since 1990.
"What we have found, and we'll get into that in greater detail, is the largest minority likes a deep brown uniform," Fowler said. "They think it says we're San Diego. It differentiates us. But it's a minority. You add it up, that would be the largest minority."
The specifics of those uniforms haven't yet been decided, as the team continues to work through its testing phase. The Padres currently wear a brown and yellow jersey for Friday night home games as a tribute to their past.
You can listen to the "Beyond the Booth" podcast in full here. Fowler and Agler also touch on other subjects, including the state of the franchise, Fowler's path to ownership and the beer industry.