When Peter Seidler's widow sued the brothers of the late Padres owner for control of the franchise on Monday, it created a messy situation around Major League Baseball — and not just in San Diego.
Andy Martino of SNY reported Tuesday that "San Diego's suddenly contentious ownership situation has left other teams uncertain of the team's offseason direction."
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The Padres finished second in the National League West last season at 93-69 and came within one game of upsetting the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series. Seidler, who passed away in Nov. 2023, laid the groundwork for the Padres' success in part by ballooning the team's payroll to record levels. The Padres reportedly needed a $50 million loan in 2023 just to meet payroll obligations.
Between the end of the 2023 season and Opening Day of 2024, the Padres managed to shed payroll by nearly $100 million. A core group led by Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Yu Darvish and Joe Musgrove remained, and helped lead San Diego back to the postseason after a one-year absence.
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Now, a struggle for control of the team has emerged between Seidler's widow and his brothers. Peter Seidler's brother, John, was selected as club control person in December pending MLB approval. Sheel Seidler, his widow, is challenging the appointment.
To @Padres fans, I want you to hear directly from me. Peter and I had a mission to bring championship baseball to San Diego. That remains my commitment to you. Read my full statement below. pic.twitter.com/YW605jZ0P8
— Sheel Seidler (@sheel_padres) January 6, 2025Sheel Seidler alleged in court documents filed Monday that Seidler's brothers, Bob and Matt, have "irreconcilable conflicts of interest" and conspired to sell trust assets to themselves at "far-below-market prices" as they "schemed to solidify their control of the Padres."
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The Peter Seidler Trust, in a statement provided to The Big Lead, responded by saying "the complaint filed by Sheel Seidler, the widow of Peter Seidler, is entirely without merit. Peter had a clear estate plan. The plan specifically named three of his nine siblings, with whom he had worked closely for many decades, as successor trustees of his trust and Peter himself prohibited Sheel from ever serving as trustee."
Given San Diego's relatively small market size, and the team's lack of spending this offseason, it was all but assumed the team would not be active in free agency — and perhaps make some of their better players available via trades if they needed to further cut costs in advance of the 2025 season.
Martino's report suggests that players such as All-Star Luis Arraez might not be traded after all. Arraez was linked to the Yankees as a possible target by ESPN's Jeff Passan on Monday. Pitcher Dylan Cease has also been mentioned as a credible possibility to get traded.
Now, the Padres' offseason course of action — as well as who controls the club — appears to be a source of mystery.
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