[Acee] Lawsuit, interviews offer differing accounts of Sheel Seidler’s past role with Padres
January 27, 2025
[Acee] Lawsuit, interviews offer differing accounts of Sheel Seidler’s past role with Padres
27 comments
Sheel Seidler contends in her lawsuit that she is the “natural person” to assume control of the Padres. The suit argues that she is the sole lifetime beneficiary of the Peter Seidler Trust, which holds the largest individual stake in the Padres, and that before his death in November 2023, she and Peter operated as a “partnership” and that she “acted as Peter’s primary advisor in matters related to the Padres.”
Sheel Seidler’s claim that she had a substantial role in decision-making for the Padres is what has surprised many familiar with the operation of the team.
Almost every person interviewed for this story — nearly 20 people, all of whom were in a position to have some knowledge of the Padres’ business and/or baseball operations in recent years and the majority of whom have no current affiliation with the Padres or the Seidler family — either said that Sheel Seidler never had a role in operating the Padres or said they were unaware of any influence or input she might have had.
Sheel Seidler was also asked to help identify people who could corroborate her claims.
Her answer, via email:
“It is a challenge to respond to false claims when they are being spread by anonymous sources. What I do know is there are many people within the Padres organization — or with close ties — who would strongly refute these claims and offer first-hand examples of my deep involvement in the franchise for more than a decade.
“Sadly, however, it is my understanding they have been instructed in writing not to assist me in explaining their knowledge of my role in the decision-making related to the team. It is also my understanding they feel they can’t help without losing their jobs, even though — as I understand it — most of the baseball part of the organization remains supportive of me.”
Padres management denied there was any such written directive, though some employees had previously said they were instructed verbally not to speak about Sheel Seidler and, in some instances, not to engage with her. A Padres spokesperson pointed out the team’s longstanding policy that limits the number of people who are authorized to speak for the organization.
Many who spoke for this story on the condition of anonymity did so because they said they did not want to become part of the legal wrangling. Others said they were fearful of retribution. Some said they were not authorized to speak by their employer.
A statement sent to The Union-Tribune on behalf of the Peter Seidler Trust, of which Matt Seidler is the trustee, said:
“Sheel continues to be part of the Padres family. But it is not correct to say that she had any role in running the franchise. It is unfortunate that she has taken this course of action. The trustees of the Peter Seidler Trust are solely focused on carrying out Peter’s written instructions. That includes setting the Padres up to build on the momentum of the 2024 season in pursuit of a World Series Championship for the city of San Diego.”
Differing interpretations
One person who was close to Peter Seidler through work they did together having to do with the Padres said there was “no doubt” he intended for his children to one day run the team. Another person who was close to Seidler due to their work outside baseball independently used the same phrase — “no doubt” — when asked if Seidler wanted his children to take over the team at some point.
Matt Seidler said in a letter addressed to Padres fans earlier this month that Sheel Seidler had told multiple people she supported John Seidler as control person and knew Peter Seidler did not want her to be in that role. A representative for Sheel Seidler refuted those contentions at the time.
That she was behind the scenes while Peter Seidler was alive was by design, she said.
“Prior to Peter’s passing, he and I intentionally created a plan for managing our family’s presence within the Padres community,” Sheel Seidler said via email last week. “We had a ‘divide and conquer’ approach, with Peter naturally taking the majority of the spotlight because he was the control person.”
Several people who are or were involved with the team at a high level dispute her claims.
“It seems to me she is grasping at straws,” said one member of the Padres ownership group who is not involved in decision-making for the franchise but has been in attendance at virtually every one of the team’s owners meetings over the course of several years
One league executive who has been at every MLB owners meeting since before Peter Seidler started attending said he never saw Sheel Seidler at one of those meetings. Two people who were present said they recalled her attending one dinner at an MLB owners meeting in which spouses were invited.
Sheel Seidler explained it this way, via email:
“I would travel with Peter, at his request, to almost all of the MLB owners meetings. We would meet between the meetings at our hotel, or walk somewhere for coffee, and talk again in the evening about MLB’s priority issues and how to further the interests of our franchise. As to the Padres ownership meetings, he and I intentionally created a plan for managing our family’s presence. Peter was the control person so he naturally took the majority of the spotlight.”
Two lower-level Padres employees who work supporting players and staff estimated that John Seidler attended several dozen games this past season. That was, they said, far more than Sheel Seidler. A third employee in a similar position said, “I haven’t really seen her until this (past) year.”
Sheel Seidler wrote via email that before 2024, she attended “one or two” games per homestand and “joined Peter for two to three road games each season.”
She was a far more visible presence at Petco Park last season.
“After Peter’s passing, for the sake of both my children’s and my own healing — as well as feeling the community’s collective healing alongside us — I found myself engaging more organically with fans at games,” she wrote in her email. “While I don’t believe I was attending games more frequently, my presence may have felt more noticeable because fans and Padres staff often sought me out to share their personal memories and experiences with Peter. These heartfelt conversations became a source of comfort and connection for my children and me.”
Sheel Seidler did help recruit Manny Machado in 2019 by reaching out to his wife, Yainee, and she remains close with the couple. Other Padres employees, from the executive offices on down, have said they have a warm relationship with Sheel Seidler and her children.
But the bulk of the claims Sheel Seidler makes about her involvement with the team came as news to several people who worked with Peter Seidler on a nearly daily basis at various points since he joined the Padres ownership group in 2012. That includes people who worked with him before and after he took over as control person in November 2020.
“Zero,” one former Padres executive said of the number of times they heard Peter Seidler mention Sheel Seidler in relation to the running of the team.
The understanding of many was that she was involved to the extent the spouse of a team owner often is — attending functions in the community, spending time with players’ families and occasionally going to games.
Trust and control
Seidler ultimately succumbed to an infection related to a compromised immune system, an ending to his life that his entire family has characterized as a surprise.
Seidler was fighting what he said was a type of blood cancer in 2023, but he assured a Union-Tribune reporter that summer that he was told it would not be fatal. Still, Seidler conceded in that July 2023 conversation that his overall poor health likely meant he would die earlier than he would prefer. He said he almost certainly would not be around to see his daughters get married.
At what turned out to be the end of that conversation about his health, Seidler was asked who would take over for him — and specifically if Sheel Seidler would succeed him. Peter Seidler replied that he was “not going to get into specifics.”
Peter Seidler never stipulated in his will or his trust who the Padres’ control person should be in the event of his death.
Instead, his trust stated the control person would be determined by the trustee and named three of Peter Seidler’s brothers as successor trustees.
Robert Seidler served as trustee until May. Matt Seidler took over when Robert resigned. In the event Matt Seidler is no longer trustee, the trust stipulates that John Seidler be named as his successor. This line of succession was affirmed in the latest updating of the trust in 2021.
That Peter Seidler did not name Sheel Seidler as a trustee or as the person who would take over control of the Padres, multiple people familiar with the trust said, was a sign he did not want her to be the franchise’s control person.
It was Peter Seidler’s intention, according to multiple people who spoke with him regularly on the topic, that Robert, Matt or John would take over control of the team. That, they contend, is why he made them successor trustees of the trust, essentially assuring one of them would be the Padres’ control person.
Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit maintains, however, that Peter Seidler “inarguably meant his wife and their children” when he would speak of his family running the Padres for generations.
“He rarely spoke of his siblings publicly and never in the context of running the Padres,” the lawsuit says.
The suit states that: “While Sheel was being prepared by Peter to assume his role of principal owner, Chairman and Control Person of the Padres until their children could join and ultimately succeed her, John had no real involvement with the Padres. He is an engineer without professional involvement with the Padres before or after Peter’s death.”
The ‘Pedro’ note
Included in the lawsuit is a handwritten note purportedly penned by Peter Seidler in 2020 — a year before he last updated his trust — detailing his preferred candidates to hold the position of control person after him.
Sheel Seidler was atop that list, followed by their three children, who were all under 10 years old at the time. Then came another brother, Tom Seidler, followed by Robert Seidler, Matt Seidler and John Seidler
One reason was that they had never heard Tom Seidler mentioned as a potential control person ahead of the three brothers who were named as successor trustees. Tom was, according to one person close to Peter Seidler, among the people Peter Seidler had occasionally discussed as potentially being in charge of the team one day.
Others said they had never heard Peter mention Tom as a successor. Three people said Peter Seidler also thought highly of a niece’s potential to one day run the team. No one interviewed for this story named anyone besides those five people as someone they heard Peter Seidler talk about as possibly assuming control of the Padres after his death.
Two people who worked with Peter Seidler volunteered that they regularly received handwritten notes from him that were chock full of whimsical ideas. They compared the list from the complaint to one of those notes, which could address a potential trade, umpiring or how MLB could improve in some way.
Another person referred to the notation near the top of the sheet of paper on which the list is written. The single line reads, “Pedro = 11-year-old starting pitcher.” That former Padres executive laughed wistfully and said: “That’s the love of baseball list.”
In response to an emailed question about the notation, Sheel Seidler said:
“Peter’s note about ‘Pedro’ was in reference to himself, and I’m confident this list was a way to clear his head – a quick nod to the past while focusing on the future. He would frequently reminisce about his little league days, and his youthful spirit — the desire to always be that 11-year-old starting pitcher — never left him. It’s difficult each time I see that note, because it reminds me of Peter’s optimistic outlook on life and the fact he was always looking ahead.
“He certainly planned for the future — as the list of future control persons demonstrates — but at the same time, he really felt like he would be with us forever.”
Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit says the list “mirrors the desires Peter Seidler made on his deathbed to his oldest child, Sadie — that she should one day lead the team and get the guidance from her mother to continue fielding a winning franchise in the Peter Seidler Way.”
Big business
Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit maintains that the control person is “a position that for generations has included the spouses or children of MLB owners.”
Sheel Seidler graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law and is an active member of the California Bar Association, though online records show her last time litigating a case was in 2007.
“I do not intend to be forced into a defensive posture about my past professional experiences — which are significant and of which I am proud,” Sheel Seidler said via email. “The fact is that Peter and I were true partners as stewards of the Padres franchise for more than a decade. It is my intention to build upon the successes we achieved together, investing in both the short-term and long-term future of the franchise, and ensuring our dream of multiple championships is fulfilled.
“My education and experience with the Padres is far greater than either Matt Seidler or John Seidler’s experience. More importantly, my experience and understanding of the uniqueness of our fanbase and community — in addition to being the holder of the largest individual ownership stake in the Padres — ensures I will continue the vision Peter and I shared to bring San Diego its first World Series championship.”
Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit says that she “has assembled an impressive roster of individuals with significant baseball and business experience” to work alongside her.
Asked to elaborate, she wrote: “I have assembled a group that includes some of the most prominent executives working in baseball today, former MLB officials, as well as highly-respected former Padres players. The group is united behind the vision I have for the Padres, and they deeply believe in the tremendous opportunity to strengthen the future of the franchise.”
Regardless of the outcome of this legal dispute, one or more of Peter Seidler’s children may end up running the Padres one day. The trust is a living document. Sheel Seidler is the beneficiary while she lives. Her children will follow as beneficiaries. The trustee role will change hands as well.
Financial, family disputes
There is far more to the lawsuit than Sheel Seidler’s role with the Padres. It is also about what she says is her right to millions of dollars from her husband’s other business ventures.
Her claim lays bare both financial and family disputes.
In an email, Sheel Seidler said: “Since Peter’s passing, my understanding is that there have been numerous attempts to undermine my reputation, including untrue stories being passed to MLB officials to try to derail my effort to become control person.”
Sheel Seidler also contends she and her children were barred from the owner’s suite at Petco Park.
“Around the time I began questioning a transaction involving the sale of certain Padres shares, my access to organizational information abruptly ceased,” she wrote. “This included access to RSVP lists for the owner’s suite, something Peter and I had always treated with great care and intentionality. Peter and I were deliberate about who we invited to the owner’s suite. We prioritized including community groups, individuals making a positive impact in San Diego, and a diverse mix of passionate fans we met during the week. When space allowed, we also welcomed Peter’s extended family, providing our children with opportunities to see their relatives in a meaningful setting. Sadly, these values seem to have evaporated. Those we trusted to run the organization have said I am not an owner and have been increasingly dismissive of my children and me.”
Multiple Padres sources said that Sheel Seidler was never told she was banned from the owner’s suite.
Instead, two people — one of whom was present — relayed a story that occurred at the Padres’ first wild-card playoff game in October. There, the two people said, an agitated Sheel Seidler loudly and repeatedly discussed the issues between her and the Seidler family. While she was not barred from the suite, the sources said, it was suggested to her that she sit in the owner’s seats in the front row next to the Padres dugout for the next game.
In an emailed response to questions about the incident, Sheel Seidler said she was told by Tom Seidler during the wild-card series that there was no space available in the owner’s suite, “which was disappointing and shocking, especially since Tom and the extended family would attend that series.”
She said she was informed during the National League Division Series that Kutsenda and the Seidler family “preferred me and my children not to attend the game in the suite. This message was hurtful, not just for me but also for my children.”
Multiple people in the organization say Sheel Seidler still has access to the team’s facilities. That includes Peter Seidler’s office, which has remained largely untouched since his death and has been a space utilized by Sheel Seidler and her children.
His name remains at the entrance to the office
@ op
#Sheel Seidler answers questions about role with Padres, claims made in her lawsuit
What follows are Sheel Seidler’s answers to those questions.
This was not a full question-and-answer session. It is the transcript of a Jan. 23 email, the publication of which was a condition of Sheel Seidler offering on-the-record responses.
Union-Tribune: I have spoken with a total of 15 people to this point. For this particular question, I am referring solely to information from five people I spoke with who are not involved with Matt or Robert Seidler or presently involved in the running of the team but have (or had) extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the Padres between 2012 and 2023. All five were adamant in their contention that your role with the team was minimal or nonexistent. Why would these people say you were not involved? Where can I find someone who would have knowledge of your involvement with the team and/or your counsel to Peter regarding the Padres who might have something different to tell me?
Sheel Seidler: It is a challenge to respond to false claims when they are being spread by anonymous sources. What I do know is there are many people within the Padres organization – or with close ties – who would strongly refute these claims and offer first-hand examples of my deep involvement in the franchise for more than a decade. Sadly, however, it is my understanding they have been instructed in writing not to assist me in explaining their knowledge of my role in the decision-making related to the team. It is also my understanding they feel they can’t help without losing their jobs, even though – as I understand it – most of the baseball part of the organization remains supportive of me.
U-T: Numerous people who worked for or work for the Padres have contended they did not see you at games all that much prior to 2024. How would you characterize your frequency of attendance in the seasons prior to 2024? Why would it have increased in ‘24?
SS: Prior to Peter’s passing, he and I intentionally created a plan for managing our family’s presence within the Padres community. We had a “divide and conquer” approach, with Peter naturally taking the majority of the spotlight because he was the control person. I typically attended at least one to two home games per homestand and joined Peter for two to three road games each season.
Peter and I were also very intentional about cultivating a family atmosphere at the Padres. One way we did this was by attending batting practice with our children. We would greet players, employees, and reporters, creating a welcoming and connected environment. It was a special time for the family.
After Peter’s passing, for the sake of both my children’s and my own healing — as well as feeling the community’s collective healing alongside us — I found myself engaging more organically with fans at games. While I don’t believe I was attending games more frequently, my presence may have felt more noticeable because fans and Padres staff often sought me out to share their personal memories and experiences with Peter.
These heartfelt conversations became a source of comfort and connection for my children and me.
U-T: Do you have knowledge of the trust using funds that should have gone to the trust beneficiaries (you and your children) to pay down the Padres debt or otherwise get the team in compliance with MLB debt regulations?
SS: Yes.
(Three sources with knowledge of the situation at the time said the Padres were approximately $100 million in the red but could secure just $50 million via an outside loan. The Peter Seidler Trust loaned the team the rest of the money, those people said, characterizing it as a fairly routine transaction made by the principal owner of a team.)
U-T: When did the Padres keep you and/or your children out of the owners’ suite? What was their reasoning?
SS: Around the time I began questioning a transaction involving the sale of certain Padres shares, my access to organizational information abruptly ceased. This included access to RSVP lists for the owner’s suite, something Peter and I had always treated with great care and intentionality.
Peter and I were deliberate about who we invited to the owner’s suite. We prioritized including community groups, individuals making a positive impact in San Diego, and a diverse mix of passionate fans we met during the week. When space allowed, we also welcomed Peter’s extended family, providing our children with opportunities to see their relatives in a meaningful setting.
Sadly, these values seem to have evaporated. Those we trusted to run the organization have said I am not an owner and have been increasingly dismissive of my children and me.
I know this sub is on team Sheel, and I hate to say it, but it sounds like she has very little legal standing here
Good read for the shitter
This will be an incredibly challenging shift in ownership no matter which way it turns. Peter had the backing of everyone. But not only will the ownership be fractured but so will his equity firm.
I feel like any TV deal, or anything will be paused while this is happening.
This is a very thorough article, and Acee is providing the raw source of Sheel’s responses.
Putting aside the content, Acee made sure he came correct here. Interview a buttload of people, provided source docs, etc.
This is “Good Acee”
My take: Sheel will not be control person and has no real grounds to be so.
The kids DO have grounds to be in control. But they are teenagers. That is at least a decade down the road.
Barring a sale, this feels like a Seidler brother is in charge for a very, very long time.
I want whomever runs things to invest back into this team being equipped to win.
My take is Peter was a smart man that did want his kids to run the org but he also wanted his kids to have a full time MOM as he was not gonna be around . Her kids are still small and I think this was the sole reason why she was not left to be the control person. I would understand her anger and frustration and the brothers are probably not doing everything by the book but they only hurting the team with this lawsuit 💔
After many weeks of this I find it strains credulity that Peter, a man worth multi millions outside of his baseball life did not have all his affairs in order when he was dying of cancer
I think the best outcome for the team is for it to be sold
I don’t GAF who runs the team so long as they aren’t cheap fucks who don’t care about winning.
To me it seems like a cash grab. I don’t think she really wants anything to do with baseball operations.
I hope her vision includes some other deep pockets that share her vision and willing to spend.
Finally, it’s safe to come out now! I can’t believe how quick the fanbase was jumping to conclusions on this one. I had never seen her around the clubhouse until Peter was long gone, shortly after which is when she started her social media PR blitz. Telling the fans what they want to hear was simply the cherry on top of all the manipulation.
This is true to life Game of Thrones- House of the Dragon stuff
And now you know why she launched this bogus lawsuit a few weeks before the Sasaki decision.
i don’t care which Seidler is right. Without Peter Seidler, it’s a mess and will be until they sell the team.
I couldn’t care who’s in control as long as they are committed to actually spending money on this team
At this point I seriously wonder if Sheel is doing this because she WANTS to be forced out by the other owners. Maybe the trust says she has to maintain her stake in the Padres unless she’s forced out, so this is her only way to cash out a billion dollars?
Either way, time to dump this whole family. The city deserves so much better than this crap.
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Sheel Seidler contends in her lawsuit that she is the “natural person” to assume control of the Padres. The suit argues that she is the sole lifetime beneficiary of the Peter Seidler Trust, which holds the largest individual stake in the Padres, and that before his death in November 2023, she and Peter operated as a “partnership” and that she “acted as Peter’s primary advisor in matters related to the Padres.”
Sheel Seidler’s claim that she had a substantial role in decision-making for the Padres is what has surprised many familiar with the operation of the team.
Almost every person interviewed for this story — nearly 20 people, all of whom were in a position to have some knowledge of the Padres’ business and/or baseball operations in recent years and the majority of whom have no current affiliation with the Padres or the Seidler family — either said that Sheel Seidler never had a role in operating the Padres or said they were unaware of any influence or input she might have had.
Sheel Seidler was also asked to help identify people who could corroborate her claims.
Her answer, via email:
“It is a challenge to respond to false claims when they are being spread by anonymous sources. What I do know is there are many people within the Padres organization — or with close ties — who would strongly refute these claims and offer first-hand examples of my deep involvement in the franchise for more than a decade.
“Sadly, however, it is my understanding they have been instructed in writing not to assist me in explaining their knowledge of my role in the decision-making related to the team. It is also my understanding they feel they can’t help without losing their jobs, even though — as I understand it — most of the baseball part of the organization remains supportive of me.”
Padres management denied there was any such written directive, though some employees had previously said they were instructed verbally not to speak about Sheel Seidler and, in some instances, not to engage with her. A Padres spokesperson pointed out the team’s longstanding policy that limits the number of people who are authorized to speak for the organization.
Many who spoke for this story on the condition of anonymity did so because they said they did not want to become part of the legal wrangling. Others said they were fearful of retribution. Some said they were not authorized to speak by their employer.
A statement sent to The Union-Tribune on behalf of the Peter Seidler Trust, of which Matt Seidler is the trustee, said:
“Sheel continues to be part of the Padres family. But it is not correct to say that she had any role in running the franchise. It is unfortunate that she has taken this course of action. The trustees of the Peter Seidler Trust are solely focused on carrying out Peter’s written instructions. That includes setting the Padres up to build on the momentum of the 2024 season in pursuit of a World Series Championship for the city of San Diego.”
Differing interpretations
One person who was close to Peter Seidler through work they did together having to do with the Padres said there was “no doubt” he intended for his children to one day run the team. Another person who was close to Seidler due to their work outside baseball independently used the same phrase — “no doubt” — when asked if Seidler wanted his children to take over the team at some point.
Matt Seidler said in a letter addressed to Padres fans earlier this month that Sheel Seidler had told multiple people she supported John Seidler as control person and knew Peter Seidler did not want her to be in that role. A representative for Sheel Seidler refuted those contentions at the time.
That she was behind the scenes while Peter Seidler was alive was by design, she said.
“Prior to Peter’s passing, he and I intentionally created a plan for managing our family’s presence within the Padres community,” Sheel Seidler said via email last week. “We had a ‘divide and conquer’ approach, with Peter naturally taking the majority of the spotlight because he was the control person.”
Several people who are or were involved with the team at a high level dispute her claims.
“It seems to me she is grasping at straws,” said one member of the Padres ownership group who is not involved in decision-making for the franchise but has been in attendance at virtually every one of the team’s owners meetings over the course of several years
One league executive who has been at every MLB owners meeting since before Peter Seidler started attending said he never saw Sheel Seidler at one of those meetings. Two people who were present said they recalled her attending one dinner at an MLB owners meeting in which spouses were invited.
Sheel Seidler explained it this way, via email:
“I would travel with Peter, at his request, to almost all of the MLB owners meetings. We would meet between the meetings at our hotel, or walk somewhere for coffee, and talk again in the evening about MLB’s priority issues and how to further the interests of our franchise. As to the Padres ownership meetings, he and I intentionally created a plan for managing our family’s presence. Peter was the control person so he naturally took the majority of the spotlight.”
Two lower-level Padres employees who work supporting players and staff estimated that John Seidler attended several dozen games this past season. That was, they said, far more than Sheel Seidler. A third employee in a similar position said, “I haven’t really seen her until this (past) year.”
Sheel Seidler wrote via email that before 2024, she attended “one or two” games per homestand and “joined Peter for two to three road games each season.”
She was a far more visible presence at Petco Park last season.
“After Peter’s passing, for the sake of both my children’s and my own healing — as well as feeling the community’s collective healing alongside us — I found myself engaging more organically with fans at games,” she wrote in her email. “While I don’t believe I was attending games more frequently, my presence may have felt more noticeable because fans and Padres staff often sought me out to share their personal memories and experiences with Peter. These heartfelt conversations became a source of comfort and connection for my children and me.”
Sheel Seidler did help recruit Manny Machado in 2019 by reaching out to his wife, Yainee, and she remains close with the couple. Other Padres employees, from the executive offices on down, have said they have a warm relationship with Sheel Seidler and her children.
But the bulk of the claims Sheel Seidler makes about her involvement with the team came as news to several people who worked with Peter Seidler on a nearly daily basis at various points since he joined the Padres ownership group in 2012. That includes people who worked with him before and after he took over as control person in November 2020.
“Zero,” one former Padres executive said of the number of times they heard Peter Seidler mention Sheel Seidler in relation to the running of the team.
The understanding of many was that she was involved to the extent the spouse of a team owner often is — attending functions in the community, spending time with players’ families and occasionally going to games.
Trust and control
Seidler ultimately succumbed to an infection related to a compromised immune system, an ending to his life that his entire family has characterized as a surprise.
Seidler was fighting what he said was a type of blood cancer in 2023, but he assured a Union-Tribune reporter that summer that he was told it would not be fatal. Still, Seidler conceded in that July 2023 conversation that his overall poor health likely meant he would die earlier than he would prefer. He said he almost certainly would not be around to see his daughters get married.
At what turned out to be the end of that conversation about his health, Seidler was asked who would take over for him — and specifically if Sheel Seidler would succeed him. Peter Seidler replied that he was “not going to get into specifics.”
Peter Seidler never stipulated in his will or his trust who the Padres’ control person should be in the event of his death.
Instead, his trust stated the control person would be determined by the trustee and named three of Peter Seidler’s brothers as successor trustees.
Robert Seidler served as trustee until May. Matt Seidler took over when Robert resigned. In the event Matt Seidler is no longer trustee, the trust stipulates that John Seidler be named as his successor. This line of succession was affirmed in the latest updating of the trust in 2021.
That Peter Seidler did not name Sheel Seidler as a trustee or as the person who would take over control of the Padres, multiple people familiar with the trust said, was a sign he did not want her to be the franchise’s control person.
It was Peter Seidler’s intention, according to multiple people who spoke with him regularly on the topic, that Robert, Matt or John would take over control of the team. That, they contend, is why he made them successor trustees of the trust, essentially assuring one of them would be the Padres’ control person.
Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit maintains, however, that Peter Seidler “inarguably meant his wife and their children” when he would speak of his family running the Padres for generations.
“He rarely spoke of his siblings publicly and never in the context of running the Padres,” the lawsuit says.
The suit states that: “While Sheel was being prepared by Peter to assume his role of principal owner, Chairman and Control Person of the Padres until their children could join and ultimately succeed her, John had no real involvement with the Padres. He is an engineer without professional involvement with the Padres before or after Peter’s death.”
The ‘Pedro’ note
Included in the lawsuit is a handwritten note purportedly penned by Peter Seidler in 2020 — a year before he last updated his trust — detailing his preferred candidates to hold the position of control person after him.
Sheel Seidler was atop that list, followed by their three children, who were all under 10 years old at the time. Then came another brother, Tom Seidler, followed by Robert Seidler, Matt Seidler and John Seidler
One reason was that they had never heard Tom Seidler mentioned as a potential control person ahead of the three brothers who were named as successor trustees. Tom was, according to one person close to Peter Seidler, among the people Peter Seidler had occasionally discussed as potentially being in charge of the team one day.
Others said they had never heard Peter mention Tom as a successor. Three people said Peter Seidler also thought highly of a niece’s potential to one day run the team. No one interviewed for this story named anyone besides those five people as someone they heard Peter Seidler talk about as possibly assuming control of the Padres after his death.
Two people who worked with Peter Seidler volunteered that they regularly received handwritten notes from him that were chock full of whimsical ideas. They compared the list from the complaint to one of those notes, which could address a potential trade, umpiring or how MLB could improve in some way.
Another person referred to the notation near the top of the sheet of paper on which the list is written. The single line reads, “Pedro = 11-year-old starting pitcher.” That former Padres executive laughed wistfully and said: “That’s the love of baseball list.”
In response to an emailed question about the notation, Sheel Seidler said:
“Peter’s note about ‘Pedro’ was in reference to himself, and I’m confident this list was a way to clear his head – a quick nod to the past while focusing on the future. He would frequently reminisce about his little league days, and his youthful spirit — the desire to always be that 11-year-old starting pitcher — never left him. It’s difficult each time I see that note, because it reminds me of Peter’s optimistic outlook on life and the fact he was always looking ahead.
“He certainly planned for the future — as the list of future control persons demonstrates — but at the same time, he really felt like he would be with us forever.”
Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit says the list “mirrors the desires Peter Seidler made on his deathbed to his oldest child, Sadie — that she should one day lead the team and get the guidance from her mother to continue fielding a winning franchise in the Peter Seidler Way.”
Big business
Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit maintains that the control person is “a position that for generations has included the spouses or children of MLB owners.”
Sheel Seidler graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law and is an active member of the California Bar Association, though online records show her last time litigating a case was in 2007.
“I do not intend to be forced into a defensive posture about my past professional experiences — which are significant and of which I am proud,” Sheel Seidler said via email. “The fact is that Peter and I were true partners as stewards of the Padres franchise for more than a decade. It is my intention to build upon the successes we achieved together, investing in both the short-term and long-term future of the franchise, and ensuring our dream of multiple championships is fulfilled.
“My education and experience with the Padres is far greater than either Matt Seidler or John Seidler’s experience. More importantly, my experience and understanding of the uniqueness of our fanbase and community — in addition to being the holder of the largest individual ownership stake in the Padres — ensures I will continue the vision Peter and I shared to bring San Diego its first World Series championship.”
Sheel Seidler’s lawsuit says that she “has assembled an impressive roster of individuals with significant baseball and business experience” to work alongside her.
Asked to elaborate, she wrote: “I have assembled a group that includes some of the most prominent executives working in baseball today, former MLB officials, as well as highly-respected former Padres players. The group is united behind the vision I have for the Padres, and they deeply believe in the tremendous opportunity to strengthen the future of the franchise.”
Regardless of the outcome of this legal dispute, one or more of Peter Seidler’s children may end up running the Padres one day. The trust is a living document. Sheel Seidler is the beneficiary while she lives. Her children will follow as beneficiaries. The trustee role will change hands as well.
Financial, family disputes
There is far more to the lawsuit than Sheel Seidler’s role with the Padres. It is also about what she says is her right to millions of dollars from her husband’s other business ventures.
Her claim lays bare both financial and family disputes.
In an email, Sheel Seidler said: “Since Peter’s passing, my understanding is that there have been numerous attempts to undermine my reputation, including untrue stories being passed to MLB officials to try to derail my effort to become control person.”
Sheel Seidler also contends she and her children were barred from the owner’s suite at Petco Park.
“Around the time I began questioning a transaction involving the sale of certain Padres shares, my access to organizational information abruptly ceased,” she wrote. “This included access to RSVP lists for the owner’s suite, something Peter and I had always treated with great care and intentionality. Peter and I were deliberate about who we invited to the owner’s suite. We prioritized including community groups, individuals making a positive impact in San Diego, and a diverse mix of passionate fans we met during the week. When space allowed, we also welcomed Peter’s extended family, providing our children with opportunities to see their relatives in a meaningful setting. Sadly, these values seem to have evaporated. Those we trusted to run the organization have said I am not an owner and have been increasingly dismissive of my children and me.”
Multiple Padres sources said that Sheel Seidler was never told she was banned from the owner’s suite.
Instead, two people — one of whom was present — relayed a story that occurred at the Padres’ first wild-card playoff game in October. There, the two people said, an agitated Sheel Seidler loudly and repeatedly discussed the issues between her and the Seidler family. While she was not barred from the suite, the sources said, it was suggested to her that she sit in the owner’s seats in the front row next to the Padres dugout for the next game.
In an emailed response to questions about the incident, Sheel Seidler said she was told by Tom Seidler during the wild-card series that there was no space available in the owner’s suite, “which was disappointing and shocking, especially since Tom and the extended family would attend that series.”
She said she was informed during the National League Division Series that Kutsenda and the Seidler family “preferred me and my children not to attend the game in the suite. This message was hurtful, not just for me but also for my children.”
Multiple people in the organization say Sheel Seidler still has access to the team’s facilities. That includes Peter Seidler’s office, which has remained largely untouched since his death and has been a space utilized by Sheel Seidler and her children.
His name remains at the entrance to the office
@ op
#Sheel Seidler answers questions about role with Padres, claims made in her lawsuit
What follows are Sheel Seidler’s answers to those questions.
This was not a full question-and-answer session. It is the transcript of a Jan. 23 email, the publication of which was a condition of Sheel Seidler offering on-the-record responses.
Union-Tribune: I have spoken with a total of 15 people to this point. For this particular question, I am referring solely to information from five people I spoke with who are not involved with Matt or Robert Seidler or presently involved in the running of the team but have (or had) extensive knowledge of the inner workings of the Padres between 2012 and 2023. All five were adamant in their contention that your role with the team was minimal or nonexistent. Why would these people say you were not involved? Where can I find someone who would have knowledge of your involvement with the team and/or your counsel to Peter regarding the Padres who might have something different to tell me?
Sheel Seidler: It is a challenge to respond to false claims when they are being spread by anonymous sources. What I do know is there are many people within the Padres organization – or with close ties – who would strongly refute these claims and offer first-hand examples of my deep involvement in the franchise for more than a decade. Sadly, however, it is my understanding they have been instructed in writing not to assist me in explaining their knowledge of my role in the decision-making related to the team. It is also my understanding they feel they can’t help without losing their jobs, even though – as I understand it – most of the baseball part of the organization remains supportive of me.
U-T: Numerous people who worked for or work for the Padres have contended they did not see you at games all that much prior to 2024. How would you characterize your frequency of attendance in the seasons prior to 2024? Why would it have increased in ‘24?
SS: Prior to Peter’s passing, he and I intentionally created a plan for managing our family’s presence within the Padres community. We had a “divide and conquer” approach, with Peter naturally taking the majority of the spotlight because he was the control person. I typically attended at least one to two home games per homestand and joined Peter for two to three road games each season.
Peter and I were also very intentional about cultivating a family atmosphere at the Padres. One way we did this was by attending batting practice with our children. We would greet players, employees, and reporters, creating a welcoming and connected environment. It was a special time for the family.
After Peter’s passing, for the sake of both my children’s and my own healing — as well as feeling the community’s collective healing alongside us — I found myself engaging more organically with fans at games. While I don’t believe I was attending games more frequently, my presence may have felt more noticeable because fans and Padres staff often sought me out to share their personal memories and experiences with Peter.
These heartfelt conversations became a source of comfort and connection for my children and me.
U-T: Do you have knowledge of the trust using funds that should have gone to the trust beneficiaries (you and your children) to pay down the Padres debt or otherwise get the team in compliance with MLB debt regulations?
SS: Yes.
(Three sources with knowledge of the situation at the time said the Padres were approximately $100 million in the red but could secure just $50 million via an outside loan. The Peter Seidler Trust loaned the team the rest of the money, those people said, characterizing it as a fairly routine transaction made by the principal owner of a team.)
U-T: When did the Padres keep you and/or your children out of the owners’ suite? What was their reasoning?
SS: Around the time I began questioning a transaction involving the sale of certain Padres shares, my access to organizational information abruptly ceased. This included access to RSVP lists for the owner’s suite, something Peter and I had always treated with great care and intentionality.
Peter and I were deliberate about who we invited to the owner’s suite. We prioritized including community groups, individuals making a positive impact in San Diego, and a diverse mix of passionate fans we met during the week. When space allowed, we also welcomed Peter’s extended family, providing our children with opportunities to see their relatives in a meaningful setting.
Sadly, these values seem to have evaporated. Those we trusted to run the organization have said I am not an owner and have been increasingly dismissive of my children and me.
I know this sub is on team Sheel, and I hate to say it, but it sounds like she has very little legal standing here
Good read for the shitter
This will be an incredibly challenging shift in ownership no matter which way it turns. Peter had the backing of everyone. But not only will the ownership be fractured but so will his equity firm.
I feel like any TV deal, or anything will be paused while this is happening.
This is a very thorough article, and Acee is providing the raw source of Sheel’s responses.
Putting aside the content, Acee made sure he came correct here. Interview a buttload of people, provided source docs, etc.
This is “Good Acee”
My take: Sheel will not be control person and has no real grounds to be so.
The kids DO have grounds to be in control. But they are teenagers. That is at least a decade down the road.
Barring a sale, this feels like a Seidler brother is in charge for a very, very long time.
I want whomever runs things to invest back into this team being equipped to win.
My take is Peter was a smart man that did want his kids to run the org but he also wanted his kids to have a full time MOM as he was not gonna be around . Her kids are still small and I think this was the sole reason why she was not left to be the control person. I would understand her anger and frustration and the brothers are probably not doing everything by the book but they only hurting the team with this lawsuit 💔
After many weeks of this I find it strains credulity that Peter, a man worth multi millions outside of his baseball life did not have all his affairs in order when he was dying of cancer
I think the best outcome for the team is for it to be sold
I don’t GAF who runs the team so long as they aren’t cheap fucks who don’t care about winning.
To me it seems like a cash grab. I don’t think she really wants anything to do with baseball operations.
I hope her vision includes some other deep pockets that share her vision and willing to spend.
Finally, it’s safe to come out now! I can’t believe how quick the fanbase was jumping to conclusions on this one. I had never seen her around the clubhouse until Peter was long gone, shortly after which is when she started her social media PR blitz. Telling the fans what they want to hear was simply the cherry on top of all the manipulation.
This is true to life Game of Thrones- House of the Dragon stuff
And now you know why she launched this bogus lawsuit a few weeks before the Sasaki decision.
i don’t care which Seidler is right. Without Peter Seidler, it’s a mess and will be until they sell the team.
I couldn’t care who’s in control as long as they are committed to actually spending money on this team
At this point I seriously wonder if Sheel is doing this because she WANTS to be forced out by the other owners. Maybe the trust says she has to maintain her stake in the Padres unless she’s forced out, so this is her only way to cash out a billion dollars?
Either way, time to dump this whole family. The city deserves so much better than this crap.