The San Diego Padres They would be close to changing hands and they would do so for an unprecedented amount for the Major Leagues. According to recent reports, the Californian organization could be sold to the businessman José E. Felicianowho, among other things, is one of the owners of the club Chelsea of the Premier League English.
According to reports from the Wall Street Journal and The Athletic, both parties would be close to concluding the pact, which would be valued at 3.9 billion dollars, a record for the MLB.
The sale would require the approval of 75% of the owners of the 30 teams in the big tent in order to materialize. The price reported for the transaction would exceed the 2.4 billion dollars paid Steve Cohen to make the New York Mets in 2020.
Dan Friedkinowner of Everton, Tom Goresowner of the Detroit Pistonsand Joe Lacobof the Golden State Warriorswere the other known finalists in the race for the Padres.
If the sale is completed, it would be the conclusion of a process that began when the Seidler family, which bought the San Diego troop in 2012, announced in November that it was exploring the possibility of selling the team whose main figure is the Dominican. Fernando Tatis Jr.
After the death of Peter Seidler in 2023, his widow, Sheel Seidlersued her brothers-in-law in an attempt to prevent another of the brothers, John, from taking control of the club instead of her.
However, the widow dismissed most of those lawsuits at the beginning of this year and John Seidler currently serves as the control person at the Padres.
Feliciano, whose net worth is estimated at $3.9 billion, and his company Clearlake Capital They own more than 60% of Chelsea FC.
Recent sporting successes
San Diego has reached the postseason in four of the last six seasons, including in 2022, when they advanced to the Championship Series of the National League.
The most recent sale of an MLB team took place last year, when the Tampa Bay Rays They changed hands for 1.7 billion dollars.
