PRIYA COOPER / SPORTS EDITOR

The  San Diego Padres are in the process of being sold for the largest amount  in MLB history. The team is going through negotiations to be sold for about $3.9 billion to the co-owner of Chelsea Football club, Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones. 

Feliciano is the managing partner of a private equity firm in Santa Monica, Calif. called Clearlake Capital. Kwanza Jones is a singer and the CEO of Supercharged, a media development company. She met Jose E. Feliciano while they were students at Princeton University. Together, they also lead the Kwanza Jones & Jose E. Feliciano Initiative, which focuses on philanthropy and social impact.

Feliciano and Jones emerged as the winning bidders in the race to purchase the Padres, surpassing three other high-profile ownership groups. Their competition  included Tom Gores, owner of the Detroit Pistons; Joe Lacob, majority owner of the Golden State Warriors; and Dan Friedkin, whose  portfolio includes   Everton F.C. in England’s Premier League. The competitive field underscored the national and international interest in acquiring the franchise, marking Feliciano and Jones’s successful  bid  a significant victory.

The highest an MLB team has ever been sold for previously is $2.4 billion when Steven Cohen purchased the New York Mets in 2020. 

75 % of Major League Baseball  owners  must  approve the sale before it is officially finalized. The next owners meeting will take place in June and determine the fate of the Padres ownership. 

USD   sophomore Charley  Kakos shared his thoughts on the sale.

“I am really excited for money coming to San Diego and for money coming to the team,” Kakos said. “I mean Petco Park is already really nice but I think the brand is being pushed, which is great for the future being one of the only major sports teams in San Diego.” 

The previous owner of the Padres was Pete Sidler, who passed away in November 2023 at the age of 63. Sidler’s death triggered conflict and the eventual motion to sell. 

Alongside his uncle Peter O’Malley and businessman Ron Fowler, Seidler helped form the O’Malley Group, which acquired the San Diego Padres from John Moores for $800 million in 2012. Under their leadership, the franchise adopted a more aggressive approach to building a championship-caliber roster. Seidler in particular pushed for increased investment in player talent, raising the Padres’ payroll to $214 million for the 2022 season. The team then became the sixth-highest in Major League Baseball, signaling the organization’s commitment to competing at the highest level.

USD sophomore Thomas Fuller commented on the potential outcomes that may come with the sale. 

“I think that it’s a good move,” Fuller said. “I know a change of ownership is always  really difficult in terms of who is going to take over the team [and] in what direction they’re going to take it with. But I think with Feliciano already owning a part of Chelsea and having that kind of experience already owning a team, I think he’s gonna already know what to do with the team. Obviously, one of the things that we were really worried about was relocation. And I think now that he’s moved a lot of his stuff here to San Diego, that we don’t really have that fear anymore.” 

The Padres have never won a world series in franchise history. However, they have made the playoffs three times in the past four years. This season the Padres record is 17-8, and they are leading in the National West League. Their next game is May 1 at Petco Park, versus the Chicago Cubs. 

Petco Park is home to the San Diego Padres and has over 40,000 seats. Photo courtesy of @padres/Instagram