A sale of the San Diego Padres could be on the horizon.
Per The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and Mike Vorkunov, initial bids for the Padres are expected around the end of February. Among prospective buyers is Golden State Warriors governor Joe Lacob, according to The Athletic.
Lacob has been one of the most successful governors in sports over the last decade-plus, winning four titles with the Warriors and reaching the NBA Finals six times since he purchased the team in 2010. Golden State is also the NBA’s most valuable franchise at $11 billion, according to Forbes.
Lacob became a part-governor of the Boston Celtics in 2006, and the team won a title two years later. He was required to sell his minority stake when he purchased the Warriors in 2010.
Lacob also brought a WNBA expansion team to the Bay Area with the Golden State Valkyries, who went 23-21 and reached the playoffs in their first year.
The Athletic reported that Lacob “is interested in buying the Padres and is exploring the idea, though he has not yet committed to bidding for the franchise.” If purchased, he would not attempt to move the Padres away from Southern California.
This isn’t the first time purchasing an MLB team has piqued Lacob’s interest. According to The Athletic, he previously attempted to purchase the Athletics, Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers.
While the full list of interested buyers is unknown, it was reported that two owners of English Premier League clubs, Dan Friedkin and José E. Feliciano, have expressed interest and could bid later this month, according to The Athletic.
The Seidler family, which currently owns the Padres, began exploring a sale in November amid a legal dispute over control of the club following Peter Seidler’s death in 2023.