rewrite this title Padres eyeing potential sale after ugly family feud over ownership

There’s a new manager in San Diego and a potential new owner on the way.

John Seidler, the Padres’ chairman and control person, announced Thursday that the ownership group is exploring a sale.

This seismic announcement comes one day shy of the two-year anniversary of former chairman Peter Siedler’s death, which has since led to family in-fighting over team control.

“I want to share with you that the family has decided to begin a process of evaluating out future with the Padres, including a potential sale of the franchise,” Seidler said in a statement. “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 putting every resource into winning a World Series championship. We remain fully committed to you, this team, and the San Diego community.

“We’re also committed to finding a new steward for the franchise who shares Peter’s vision: continue to field a consistently competitive team and win a World Series championship for San Diego. We have every expectations that the new owner will build on the momentum we have built together and operate the franchise and ballpark in a first-class manner, the way our current leadership team does.”

CNBC valued the Padres at $2.1 billion in April.

Peter joined the ownership ranks in 2012 when he and several others purchased the team, and he became the team’s chairman in 2020.

He invested into the team, raising the payroll, and the Padres enjoyed a 2022 run to the NLCS that included an NLDS win over the rival Dodgers.

Peter died Nov. 14, 2023, and there has been contention over the team’s future.

His widow, Sheel Seidler, sued her brothers-in-law, Matthew and Robert, in January to prevent fellow brother-in-law, John, from taking control of the team, as proposed in December 2024.

She asked to be named the team’s control person.

“I made this decision as a very last resort, but I am confident it is the right one and the best way to protect the Padres franchise and ensure the vision that Peter and I shared for the team will continue,” Sheel said at the time in a statement, according to the Associated Press.

MLB ultimately approved John as the team’s control person in February.

The Padres’ ownership is made up of at least 10 individuals or groups, and Peter Seidler Trust — of which Sheel is included — owns a 24 percent stake, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.

While uncertainty now swirls the franchise, a source told the Union-Tribune that the expectation is the team’s payroll will remain in the same range as this past year.

The Padres had the sixth-highest mark at roughly $225 million, per Spotrac.

San Diego is coming off a second straight — and third in four years — playoff appearance, falling to the Cubs in three games in the wild-card round.

Manager Mike Shildt retired after the season, and the team hired former MLB reliever Craig Stammen, who has never managed.