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The sale of the San Diego Padres appears to be concluding sooner than many expected.
It began in November of 2025 with the announcement by Chairman John Seidler that the family was exploring a sale of the team.
In part, the lawsuit between Peter Seidler’s widow, Sheel Seideler, and his brothers Matt and John seems to be moving towards resolution. Earlier this week, much of the lawsuit between the parties was resolved, and while some elements remain, everything related to the Padres themselves was dismissed.
On Wednesday, the names of numerous interested parties began to leak out to fans and the media. These included the co-owner of the Golden State Warriors, Joe Lacob. San Diego native and owner of Everton and AS Roma, Dan Friedkin, and majority owner of Everton, José E. Feliciano.
It was also reported by 97.3 the Fan’s Ben and Woods in an interview with Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams that an Asian consortium of buyers, possibly from South Korea, was interested in buying the Friars. It’s also been reported from various sources that many potential buyers, some mentioned above and some not, have already met with the team. They’ve met with the Seidlers, as well as conducting fact-finding missions and interviews with other members of the franchise.
Now it’s being reported by the Athletic’s Dennis Lin that the first round of bids for the team will be due by the end of February.
This would mean that a new owner is going to be coming sooner than many expected, potentially even by Opening Day.
The Padres have declined all comment on this and any other such rumors, but there is enough information out there to suggest a resolution could be finalized sooner than many facts and media personalities expected. The above-mentioned names, combined with rumors of fact-finding missions by buyers, would suggest that a great deal of due diligence has been done by enough interested parties that the Padres are moving forward with the sale.
Once a bid has been agreed to by the potential new owners and the Seidler family, it would require approval from 75% of all MLB owners for the sale to take place.
Whoever purchases the San Diego Padres would be buying one of the hottest teams in the sport. The Padres have been a playoff contender for most of the decade, ranked in the top 5 of attendance and fan enthusiasm for the past few years. The team also has a roster full of superstars, including Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Jackson Merrill.
However, they would also be buying a franchise that has financial issues related to very large backloaded contracts and a problematic leadership history. There is also the potential strike/work stoppage at the end of the season; however, that would probably be something the new owner wants to be involved with moving forward.
Things are happening in San Diego. Who will own the Padres? We may find out soon.
A Native San Diegan, Loren has spent his entire life not only as a fan but an active participant in San Diego’s sports world. In 2006 Loren joined two other die hard Charger fans to create Bolttalk, where Loren was a co-host and regular columnist from 2006 until the Chargers left in 2017. After that he started another podcast, The Grid Podshow, from 2020-2021 with his former co-host and colleague, speaking about the local sports community and popular culture.
When he’s not giving his opinion about San Diego sports, Loren is an adjunct professor at San Diego State and an attorney.
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