The San Diego Padres might be going up for sale.
The Seidler family, which has owned the San Diego Padres since 2012, has announced they are beginning a formal process to “explore strategic options.”
That includes the possible sale of the franchise, they said Thursday.
“The family has decided to begin a process of evaluating our future with the Padres, including a potential sale of the franchise,” said John Seidler, Padres chairman and brother of former owner Peter Seidler, in a statement on MLB.com.
“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.”
“During the process and as we prepare for the 2026 season, the Padres will continue to focus on its players, employees, fans and community while putting every resource into winning a World Series championship.
“We remain fully committed to this team, its fans and the San Diego community.”
The announcement follows a lawsuit over control of the team, in which the former owner’s widow, Sheel Seidler, sued brothers-in-law Matthew and Robert Seidler earlier this year in an attempt to prevent another brother, John, from taking control of the team rather than her.
Sheel said that Peter Seidler, who died at age 63 on Nov. 14, 2023, wanted her to succeed him as the team’s control person.
John Seidler was later installed as chair of the team by the MLB.
“We’re looking forward to continued stewardship of the Padres by a member of the Seidler family,” Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said at the time. “And that is really noncontroversial.”
The family is working with advisory company BDT & MSD Partners to guide the process to “ensure that it is conducted in a disciplined and professional manner,” a Padres statement read.
In 2012, Seidler, his uncle Peter O’Malley, and Ron Fowler formed the O’Malley Group, which purchased MLB’s San Diego Padres from John Moores for $800 million.
Seidler died in November 2023 at the age of 63.
In 2024, the city of San Diego named a street after the former owner near Petco Park — Peter Seidler Way.
“One of the greatest humans that I’ve had the privilege of knowing. Peter left a huge mark,” Padres third baseman Manny Machado said during a remembrance ceremony last year. “Not just in the world of baseball, but in our community.”
Owning baseball teams ran in Seidler’s family. His grandfather, Walter O’Malley, owned the Dodgers before and after their move from Brooklyn to Los Angeles, and his uncle, Peter O’Malley, owned the Dodgers for many years after Walter’s death.
However, Seidler did not go right into baseball. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from UCLA, then launched a private equity firm, Seidler Equity Partners, in 1992.
They all collectively owned the team until 2020, when Seidler bought out Fowler’s shares to become the primary owner.
No more information is available at this time. The Seidler family and the Padres said that they do not intend to comment further until the strategic option process has concluded.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
