The dispute for control of the San Diego Padres seems to have been settled, at least among Major League Baseball team owners.
MLB owners have unanimously approved John Seidler to assume the role of the Padres’ control person on Thursday. The transition of power will occur once Seidler becomes the trustee of the late Peter Seidler’s trust, a process expected to be completed in approximately 30 days.
However, ongoing legal proceedings could impact this process. Sheel Seidler, Peter Seidler’s widow, filed a lawsuit against her husband’s brothers for control of the Padres in January.
Alleging “irreconcilable conflicts of interest” with Bob and Matt Seidler, the younger brothers of Peter and John, Sheel Seidler claimed that the brothers had committed “breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud” as trustees of the Seidler Trust that oversees the franchise. She also accused them of attempting to sell and relocate the team, a statement that Matt Seidler later refuted in communication with the Padres’ ownership partners and fans.
Rob Manfred does not expect the San Diego Padres will be sold: “My understanding is the family wants to keep the team.”
He also confirmed that there have been no discussions about relocating the team. “There has not been a single word or whisper of relocation in the context of the San Diego Padres.”https://t.co/NbYm4YEkKQ
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) February 6, 2025
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also rejected the idea of a sale or relocation when addressing reporters following the announcement of the vote at the MLB owners meetings.
“There has not been a single word or a whisper about relocation in the context of the San Diego Padres,” stated Manfred, as reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune. “San Diego is a great market with a great facility. That’s just not a realistic concern.”
The ownership conflict became public as the Padres were in the midst of executing their offseason plans, which included pursuing Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki. However, the 23-year-old right-hander later signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers about two weeks later.
Peter Seidler passed away at the age of 63 in November 2023 after battling an illness for several months. He took on the role of chairman and primary stakeholder of the Padres in 2020, following his involvement in the group that bought the team in 2012.
In December, the Padres announced that John would assume the position of the team’s control person, subject to approval by Major League Baseball, as reported by The Athletic.
A’s owner John Fisher named to MLB owners’ executive committee
In other news from the meetings, Manfred revealed that MLB team owners had appointed A’s owner John Fisher to their executive committee, according to the Los Angeles Times’ Bill Shaikin. Fisher has been a controversial figure among MLB fans due to the A’s relocation from Oakland to Sacramento in preparation for a potential move to Las Vegas.
The executive committee is responsible for overseeing league matters such as franchise sales and economic issues like revenue sharing among clubs. Many find Fisher’s inclusion in the committee to be a surprising development.