San Diego Padres Ownership Begins Review of Possible Franchise Sale

The family of late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler is formally exploring whether to sell the team, a move that could reshape the future of baseball in the city.

The Padres announced Thursday that the Seidler family has hired advisory firm BDT & MSD Partners, which has recently worked on high-profile sports deals involving the Boston Celtics and the Chicago White Sox. The review includes the possibility of a full sale of the franchise.

Seidler family reviews options after era of aggressive spending

John Seidler, who became chairman of the Padres after his brother Peter’s death in November 2023, said the family is “evaluating our future with the Padres, including a potential sale of the franchise.”

“We will undertake this process with integrity and professionalism in a way that honors Peter’s legacy and love for the Padres and lays the foundation for the franchise’s long-term success,” John Seidler said in a statement. He added that as the club prepares for the 2026 season, it will continue to prioritize players, employees, fans and the broader San Diego community while “putting every resource into winning a World Series championship.”

Peter Seidler, a grandson of former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley, first joined the Padres ownership group in 2012 when the team was purchased for roughly $800 million. He became primary owner in 2020 after buying out Ron Fowler’s majority stake and quickly won over fans by committing to aggressive spending in pursuit of San Diego’s first major pro sports title.

After Seidler’s death, his wife, Sheel, filed a lawsuit against brothers-in-law Matthew and Robert over who should control the team. She alleged Peter wanted her to succeed him, while Matthew Seidler publicly rejected that claim as “entirely untrue.” Despite the dispute, John Seidler ultimately assumed the role of control person for the franchise under MLB rules.

A winning window and a powerful local market

On the field, Seidler built the framework for the most sustained run of success in Padres history. San Diego has reached the postseason four times in six years and has posted at least 90 wins in each of the last two seasons behind stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.

Even after Seidler’s death and a payroll reduction in 2024, general manager A.J. Preller kept the club in contention with a series of bold trades and signings. The Padres won 90 games this year before falling in a tight three-game Wild Card Series against the Chicago Cubs. Earlier this week, Preller introduced former Padres reliever Craig Stammen as the team’s new manager, signaling continuity in the aggressive, win-now mindset Seidler encouraged.

Any potential buyer would be inheriting a franchise with significant structural advantages. The Padres play at Petco Park, widely regarded as one of the premier ballparks in baseball, and enjoy a large, loyal fan base. The club has set franchise attendance records in each of the last three seasons, drawing more than 3 million fans for the first three times in team history and reaching 3,437,201 fans in 2025 — an average of 42,435 per game.

The San Diego metropolitan area ranks among the top 20 media markets in the United States. For years, the Padres were the only major professional sports team in town following the Chargers’ relocation to Los Angeles in 2017, a monopoly that only recently changed with the arrival of San Diego FC in Major League Soccer.

What a potential sale could mean for MLB

A possible Padres sale would be one of the most closely watched transactions in baseball, both because of the team’s on-field core and the strength of the local market. Franchise valuations across MLB have climbed sharply in recent years, and San Diego’s combination of attendance, market size and star power would likely command a premium.

Still, not every exploration leads to a sale. The Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno spent months evaluating offers in late 2022 before deciding to keep the team. In 2024, the Pohlad family similarly pulled the Minnesota Twins off the market and instead brought in additional limited partners.

For now, the Seidler family says the focus remains on winning. While BDT & MSD Partners surveys the landscape and potential buyers assess what a deal might look like, the Padres will continue to build around their current core and try to deliver the World Series title Peter Seidler chased so aggressively.