Seidler Approved As Padres Owner; Manfred on Dodgers Spending

MLB team owners approved John Seidler on Thursday as the new designated control executive of the Padres. Whether that approval holds will now likely be a matter for the courts. 

As part of league business meetings in Florida, owners unanimously approved the Padres control transfer, furthering a succession plan that started with the November 2023 death of team owner Peter Seidler, John’s brother, and now will proceed with John Seidler taking over leadership of Peter’s trust. Once that becomes final, expected in about a month, so, too, will the MLB designation. 

A legal challenge, however, from Peter Seidler’s widow, Sheel, has thrown a significant wrench into the plan. She sued two other Seidler brothers, Robert and Matt, last month, in a Texas probate court in a bid to become the Padres’ controlling owner, and alleged the brothers-in-law wrongly “schemed to solidify their control of the Padres” and have “falsely cast themselves as Peter’s true heirs.” Her complaint also contained extensive allegations of racist actions by the brothers. 

In a recently filed a response to the lawsuit, Robert and Matt Seidler claimed Peter never intended for her to assume leadership of the club. Absent some kind of settlement, the messy dispute could require years to resolve. Regardless of how it ends, though, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the team will continue to operate normally and is not leaving San Diego.

“We have an estate plan, a succession plan that Peter filed, clear and written, what he intended,” Manfred said. “We followed the process that is laid out in the plan, [and] that is the trustee appointing a successor control person.”

Along similar lines, Sheel Seidler’s counsel, Dane Butswinkas, called the approval “merely a pro forma decision.”

The Padres’ situation has been closely followed, as the club advanced to last year’s playoffs and has been one of MLB’s highest-spending franchises, but operates in one of the smallest markets. This offseason, however, the Padres have been much less active while the division rival Dodgers continue to flex their financial might. 

Tampa Watch

As the Rays’ stadium situation, both with hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field and a proposed new $1.3 billion ballpark, grows dimmer, Manfred made another endorsement of the Tampa market. 

That’s hardly a surprise, as it’s now the No. 11 media market in the U.S., and it continues to experience population growth. Manfred, however, acknowledged the difficulties that the Rays and owner Stu Sternberg face. The club contends that perceived delays in approval of public bonding for the new ballpark have introduced additional costs it cannot bear alone. A decision is due by March 31 about whether to proceed with agreements with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, Fla. 

“[Sternberg is] confronted with an extraordinarily difficult situation, and we’re trying to work that situation through and keep my goal, keep the franchise in Tampa Bay,” Manfred said. “We’d like to keep the franchise in Tampa Bay. We think the market is big enough, and that there is passion for the game. Having said that, it is challenging.”

Dodger Defense

Manfred also defended the conduct of the Dodgers, now set to enter the 2025 season with a luxury tax payroll of nearly $379 million—easily the highest in MLB and still more than $58 million beyond the No. 2 Mets, even after the reunion with Pete Alonso. 

“The Dodgers are a really well-run, successful organization,” Manfred said. “Everything that they do and have done is consistent with our rules. They’re trying to get the fans the best possible product. Those are all positives. I recognize, however, and my email certainly reflects it, that there are fans in other markets who are concerned about their team’s ability to compete.”