Padres willing to spend? Can’t be.

Attention, San Diego, we have a missing persons alert.

The absent party’s last known whereabouts were at 100 Park Boulevard, better known as Petco Park.

Assumed kidnapped, the victims are members of the Padres’ front office -- long known as one of the stingiest in Major League Baseball. It should also be noted that a gang of impostors are currently doing their work.

Seriously, though -- do you recognize these guys? Has this offseason resembled anything like what we’ve seen previously from this organization?

Ownership regimes of Padres past carved out a reputation as penny pinchers who saw losing as the most convenient way to make a profit. This one, however, appears ready to reach deep into its pockets for a player who can go deep.

Has anything actually happened yet? Well...no. And that alone justifies every bit of skepticism that fans have amassed throughout the years.

But does the willingness to spend look like a very real component to this organization’s identity? Yes. It does.

The question is: Where do they go from here?

Earlier this week, it was reported that the Padres offered Pablo Sandoval a nine-figure contract worth more dough than what the Giants and Red Sox pitched. The third baseman eventually signed with Boston -- which offered more per year and has three World Series titles since 2004 -- but the point was made.

Had Kung Fu Panda signed, it would have marked the most expensive free-agent acquisition in Padres history by a country ultrathon. And it was hardly the first time this offseason that the brass has hinted at making someone never worry about gas prices...or Ferrari prices again.

It is no secret that the Pads are interested in signing Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas. The 24-year-old is supposedly worth something in the $80-90 million range, with some reports suggesting he could command nine figures.

Normally, the Padres would treat a prospect of this caliber the way a zebra does a lion. Keeping their distance from free-agent star power has been the organization’s M.O. from the day it stepped foot in Petco.

But now, San Diego appears to be pursuing Tomas like Mike Krzyzewski would a five-star recruit. They wouldn’t just be thrilled to get him -- they’d be brokenhearted if they didn’t.

Fans should appreciate this. They shouldn’t necessarily celebrate it, because until an All-Star-on-any-team-level player is actually wearing a Padres uniform, this ambition is meaningless.

However, if they are able to lure top-notch talent, Padres fans may actually have a reason to go to the ballpark for reasons other than Phil’s BBQ or Filippi’s.

Some folks may not like this approach. They might say that shelling out an obscene amount of cash for big names or unproven talent is the surest way to hamstring a franchise.

Look at a Josh Hamilton in Anaheim or B.J. Upton in Atlanta, and you’ll see how quickly a star player can become an overpaid player. But you know what? When you’re the Padres -- a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2006 -- sometimes you just have to go for it.

Fans should hope this bold streak continues. Maybe that means showing a big bat the money, maybe it means trading Andrew Cashner for some power, or maybe it means being willing to part with Tyson Ross, too.

The front office shouldn’t do anything for the sole purpose of exciting its fans -- but it should take the kind of risk that would fire a fan base up.

It’s kind of funny, isn’t it? Not one major acquisition has taken place yet and this still ranks as one of the most exciting Padres’ offseasons in recent memory.

Obviously, money is never the singular solution to an overstuffed L column, but it certainly helps. So here’s to the Padres keeping those wallets -- and minds -- open for the foreseeable future.