The Padres Power Struggle
It was a sad day for the community of San Diego when Padres chairman and owner Peter Seidler passed away at the age of 63.
“Peter was a kind and generous man who was devoted to his wife, children and extended family. He also consistently exhibited heartfelt compassion for others, especially those less fortunate. His impact on the city of San Diego and the baseball world will be felt for generations. His generous spirit is now firmly embedded in the fabric of the Padres. Although he was our chairman and owner, Peter was at his core a Padres fan. He will be dearly missed.”? – Padres CEO Erik Greupner
Since purchasing the San Diego Padres in 2012, Seidler turned the franchise around, spending big on free agent additions like Manny Machado and retaining “homegrown” talent like Fernando Tatis Jr. This led to the franchise making their first playoff appearance in 14 years during the 2020 season.
"I am deeply saddened by the news of Peter's passing. Peter grew up in a baseball family, and his love of the game was evident throughout his life. He was passionate about owning the Padres and bringing the fans of San Diego a team in which they could always take pride.” – MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred
When Peter Seidler passed away, two of his brothers Bob and Matt Seidler became executors of Peter’s estate, as well as trustees of the trust that owns the Padres. The Padres in December of 2024, announced that another one of Peter’s brothers John Seidler would become the new control person, subject to MLB approval. Then in January of 2025, Peter’s widow Sheel Seidler launched a legal grenade into the Padres ownership situation.
Sheel Seidler’s Argument
Sheel Seidler accuses Bob and Matt of breaching fiduciary duty and committing fraud in their roles as executors and trustees, and that she alone is the sole beneficiary of the trust. For this reason, Sheel contends she should become the next control person of the San Diego Padres.
Sheel claims that the brothers are attempting to force their brother John’s appointment and have irreconcilable conflicts of interest in this matter. She even claims that they tried to sell trust assets to themselves under fair-market price.
“I do not wish to litigate this matter in public, but rest assured I will do what it takes to protect my children, Peter’s legacy, and this remarkable ball club.” - Sheel Seidler
The Brother’s Argument
Matt and Bob completely deny the allegations and claim that Sheel Seidler is simply motivated by control and money.
“Sheel is unhappy that Peter did not give her control over the San Diego Padres or the trust upon his death, (Sheel is) disappointed that Peter did not leave her a trust that generates significant net income for her, and that he elected to protect the trust’s remainder beneficiaries (their children) by limiting distributions of trust principal to Sheel.” - Matt Seidler
What’s Next
Probate Court is an unequivocally messy forum, usually leaving families fractured, but hopefully the family can find some sort of resolution, otherwise a sale could potentially be in the cards.
From a baseball perspective, it looks like the ownership instability has affected the San Diego Padres free agency period.
The Padres have lost names like Ha-Seong Kim, Jurickson Profar and Tanner Scott – without adding any names of significance to the roster.
The biggest loss of the offseason for the Padres was losing out on Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, who eventually signed with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers.
“We knew it was an issue. The timing of it appeared oddly strategic, and I wanted to allow the Padres to deal with it first on their own terms rather than try to figure it out on our own, which they did.” – Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe on the Padres ownership dispute
Sources
Laboratory Condustant
3 周Very sad and unfortunate situation.