The San Diego Padres announced on Thursday that the Seidler family, the owners of the franchise, is exploring a sale. This doesn't guarantee anything - we've seen the ownership groups of the Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins back out of sales in recent years - but it's eye-opening nonetheless.
Padres ownership is considering a sale of the franchise. From the team … pic.twitter.com/64U79dqRpQ
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) November 13, 2025
This reality makes the present and future of the organization very uncertain. Fernando Tatis Jr., the face of the franchise, figures to be at the center of that.
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Potential Padres sale raises questions about Fernando Tatis Jr.'s future in San Diego
Before this information was made public, rumors surrounding Tatis' future in San Diego ran rampant. He might not be actively on the trade block, but he's a player some MLB insiders believed could be dealt sometime this winter or in the not-too-distant future, even before this news broke. This reality has nothing to do with Tatis' play on the field or his past PED suspension. It has everything to do with the Padres lacking payroll flexibility and potentially needing to trade one of their expensive players to free up money.
What MLB fans didn't fully know is why the Padres needed to clear money. Was it so they could build a more complete roster? Evidently, it could be to accommodate a sale. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Padres are around $300 million in debt. Tatis is entering the sixth year of a 14-year, $340 million deal he signed with the Padres. San Diego is on the hook for roughly $300 million remaining on the deal.
Trading him might not lead to more wins, but it'd clear up a ton of money. That could make the franchise more appealing in the eyes of a potential buyer. Now, all Padres fans can do is wonder what kind of owner will end up purchasing the franchise if, indeed, the Seidler's go through with the sale.
Fernando Tatis Jr.'s Padres future could depend on new owner
If the Padres are about to replace the Seidlers with a cheap billionaire, Padres fans can kiss Tatis goodbye. With the contracts owed to Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Yu Darvish being pretty much untradeable, Tatis is the guy they can trade away to save money and get rid of much of their debt.
If the Padres get an owner looking to win World Series titles, though, much like Peter Seidler, Tatis likely isn't going anywhere, and the Padres can remain relevant for years to come. As Padres fans know all too well, owners play a much larger role in MLB than most would like. A willingness to spend goes a long way.
All Padres fans can do is hope for the latter - an owner willing to stop at nothing to win a World Series. Tatis' future could depend on that.
Potential Padres sale is the last thing Peter Seidler would've wanted
Heartbroken for Peter. The exact opposite of what he wanted. Hope the next ownership is as committed to winning and San Diego as he was.
— Ryan Cohen (@RyanCohen24) November 13, 2025
All MLB fans can really do at this time is mourn Peter Seidler, the former owner of the Padres, who passed away in November of 2023. Seidler went above and beyond to try and bring a World Series to San Diego, and had hoped his family would carry on his legacy by maintaining control of the team. Not even two full years later, the Padres are on the market.
Peter talked all the time about leaving the team in his family for generations. And they disregarded his wish within two years of his tragic passing. Pretty heartbreaking.
— Ryan Cohen (@RyanCohen24) November 13, 2025
Despite playing in a smaller market and in the Los Angeles Dodgers' shadow, Seidler truly did go above and beyond to try and win. From Machado to Tatis to Eric Hosmer, he was willing to spend whatever he conceivably could to field a winner. To his credit, the Padres have been in the playoffs pretty consistently; they just haven't gotten to the Fall Classic. Even without the ultimate prize, Petco Park is sold out just about every night and the Padres are a team to watch when discussing just about any star.
Who knows what to expect now? It's clear that the Seidler family has no interest in carrying on Peter's Padres legacy. Hopefully, the buyer can successfully do so by keeping Tatis in town and surrounding him with a World Series-caliber roster.