Latest news with #Greupner
New York Times
20-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Jake Peavy, 2007 NL Cy Young winner, rejoins Padres as special assistant to CEO
Jake Peavy, the former San Diego Padres pitcher and 2007 National League Cy Young Award winner, has rejoined the organization as a special assistant to CEO Erik Greupner, the team announced Thursday. Greupner said in a news release that Peavy will assist multiple departments in the organization and serve as a team ambassador. Advertisement 'I'm incredibly appreciative of this opportunity to reunite with my Padres family,' Peavy said in the release. 'San Diego has always held a special place in my heart. I'm a Padre through and through — from the moment I was drafted by the team until this very day, and I can't wait to work alongside this talented group and contribute in any way I can to the success of this great organization.' Peavy, 43, went from being a 15th-round draft pick out of Mobile, Ala., in 1999 to starring in San Diego by the mid-aughts. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox in 2009 — weeks after he rejected a move to that same team — and he remained relatively estranged from the Padres organization until then-owner Peter Seidler and Greupner invited him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before a 2022 postseason game at Petco Park. That reintroduction led to Peavy's entrance into the Padres Hall of Fame in 2023 and, now, his new role in the organization. 'We're excited for Jake to rejoin the Padres after an outstanding playing career,' Greupner said in Thursday's release. 'Beyond his impressive accomplishments on the field, Jake brings a passionate, competitive spirit and leadership qualities that align perfectly with our organizational values. His wisdom, experience and relationships in the game are invaluable as we continue to pursue a World Series championship for the city of San Diego and our fans.' Peavy remains the Padres' franchise leader in strikeouts (1,348) and ranks second in winning percentage, quality starts and strikeouts per nine innings. In his Cy Young-winning season, Peavy became the only Padre to secure a pitching Triple Crown, with 19 wins, a 2.54 ERA and 240 strikeouts. With the new role, Peavy will reunited with former Padres teammate Mark Loretta, another special assistant to Greupner. Peavy also will continue to work as an analyst for MLB Network.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Padres Stay in NL West Spending Race Despite Ownership Chaos
PEORIA, Ariz. — It's another season of the San Diego Padres' usual soap opera, replete with ownership chaos and payroll intrigue. But Erik Greupner, the team's longtime chief executive, insists this version of All My Padres won't affect the club on the field. The Padres' ownership experienced an offseason of turmoil as the Seidler family publicly fought over who should be the team's control person. A lawsuit filed last month by the Sheel Seidler, the widow of the late owner Peter Seidler, over control of the franchise raised questions about the possibility of a sale and potential relocation. It also spotlighted the team's high payroll and on-field issues. More from Yankees Reveal Steinbrenner Field Revamp Ahead of Rays' Takeover MLB Approves John Seidler as Padres Control Person MLB Owners Put Padres Control Decision on Meeting Agenda 'I have been told multiple times that the team is not going to be sold,' Greupner said this week outside the team's spring clubhouse at the Peoria Sports Complex. 'The Seidler family has said it's a generational asset. This team is not going to be relocated. The commitment is to keep running it the way we've been running it.' The Seidler brothers—who control the family trust, which includes 23% of the Padres—continue to insist the team isn't being sold or relocated. In reality, the Padres are bound to San Diego by contract until 2034, 30 years after Petco Park opened, or until the city's bond debt is scheduled to be retired in 2032. Just before spring training started, MLB owners voted unanimously to designate older brother John Seidler as the club's control person, subject to a 30-day waiting period during which his name must be added to the family trust. Greupner said John Seidler should be around camp before the end of the spring. 'You'll get a chance to hear from him and ask him questions before opening day,' Greupner said. On the field, the Padres continue to spend on new and existing commitments. They have a player payroll for luxury-tax purposes of $253.9 million, up from last year's $227.8 million. That's second in the National League West behind the No. 1 Los Angeles Dodgers at a near-record $400 million, and sixth in Major League Baseball. The division might now be the toughest in baseball, with a total spending tally of $1.05 billion on players among the five teams. The Padres are substantiating their own spending because Petco is a destination ballpark, and the Padres broke all club records for local revenue and an attendance of 3.3 million this past season. 'Our payroll is going up significantly year after year,' Greupner said, although it is now not as high as the franchise record of $291.2 million in 2023, good for third in MLB. 'We have been pursuing a long-term plan that was set years ago. We're exactly where we expected to be from a payroll perspective going into this season.' The Padres this year have been late to the game acquiring players, but general manager A.J. Preller worked the phones, recently adding pitcher Nick Pivetta for four years, $55 million with an opt-out option after two seasons. To sign Pivetta, Preller had to get creative; the Padres will be paying him a base salary of $1 million and $1.5 million of a $3 million signing bonus this season. He'll earn $20.5 million—$19 million in base salary and the remainder of the $1.5 million bonus—next year, but his luxury tax hit each season is $13.8 million, according to figures amassed by Spotrac. Holdover Michael King was eligible for fourth-year arbitration and signed a deal for $4 million for this year with a $15 million mutual option for next year. 'We've talked about it before,' Preller said in a recent media session. 'Every offseason has a different pace. This year we've been patient.' The Padres have four players on the roster making in excess of $20 million this season—Manny Machado at $31.8 million, Xander Bogaerts at $25.5 million, Fernando Tatis Jr. at $24.3 million and Joe Musgrove at $20 million. Musgrove is expected to be out for the season after undergoing Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow last October. Still, that gives the Padres a pretty ample starting rotation of Yu Darvish, Dylan Cease, King and Pivetta. The fifth starter will come from a camp competition that includes recent free-agent signee Kyle Hart. The 32-year-old left-hander had a breakout 13-3 season in Korea last year with a 2.69 ERA in 26 starts, although he's made only three MLB starts, in 2020 for Boston. Preller, though, isn't finished wheeling and dealing. 'We like the group we have in camp,' he said, 'but we're always going to be looking at opportunities.' Last year, Preller made the trade with the Chicago White Sox for Cease on March 13. Cease, who avoided arbitration and signed a one-year contract worth $13.75 million, is an upcoming free agent at the end of the season and has been a constant source of trade rumors. But right now, the Padres are trying to build upon what they have rather than tear down to save money. 'I think A.J., and [manager] Mike [Shildt] have been given the resources to put together a championship team, especially with the recent additions we've made,' Greupner said. 'I feel very good going into the season with the leadership we have. Our goal remains the same as a franchise: to win our first World Series championship.' Best of MLS Franchise Valuations Ranking List: From LAFC to CF Montréal Tennis Prize Money Tracker: Which Player Has Earned the Most in 2025? Who Is Josh Harris, the Washington Commanders' Owner?
New York Times
18-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Padres CEO Erik Greupner says club has ‘sufficient' resources for World Series pursuit
PEORIA, Ariz. — San Diego Padres CEO Erik Greupner said Tuesday, amid pending litigation over control of the franchise, that he expects the team to remain under current ownership and spend enough money to 'compete for World Series championships.' Greupner, who traditionally has joined the Padres' control person for annual press conferences near the start of spring training, met with the media on his own during the second day of full-squad workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex. John Seidler, the older brother of late team owner Peter Seidler, is not scheduled to make his first public appearance until he is officially named Padres chairman. That appointment is expected to come next month, weeks after Peter Seidler's widow sued two of his other brothers in an attempt to become the club's control person. Advertisement Tuesday, without mentioning Sheel Seidler by name, Greupner addressed the allegation that Matt Seidler — the current trustee of Peter Seidler's trust — was planning to sell or perhaps even relocate the Padres. 'I have been told multiple times that the team is not for sale and will not be sold,' Greupner said. 'The Seidler family has viewed this team as a generational asset. Peter spoke about that. The rest of his family has continued to speak about that. This team is not going to be relocated. This team is not going to be sold. The commitment remains to keep this team in the current ownership that it's in right now and continue to run it the way we've been running it.' Speaking amid a relatively quiet offseason in terms of roster additions, Greupner described the Padres' present payroll level — projected by FanGraphs at roughly $207 million — as 'sufficient' for the pursuit of their first World Series title and part of 'a long-term plan that was set … several years ago.' 'I think we have a team, like you saw last year, that's capable of going down and accomplishing our goal,' Greupner said. Last offseason, the Padres mourned Peter Seidler's death while cutting close to $90 million from the club-record $255 million payroll Seidler authorized in 2023. With Eric Kutsenda serving as interim control person, the team went on to surprise, winning 93 games and pushing the Los Angeles Dodgers to a winner-take-all Game 5 in the National League Division Series. The excitement generated by a largely successful season has since been tempered. While the Dodgers and other National League teams have made blockbuster acquisitions, the Padres' payroll increase has mostly come via built-in salary raises. Despite assertions that the Seidler family plans to keep the franchise, the highly publicized dispute between Sheel Seidler, the beneficial owner of a 24 percent stake in the team, and her brothers-in-law has led to speculation that the franchise eventually will be put up for sale. Advertisement Greupner pushed back against that speculation, as well as the idea that litigation has affected the club's day-to-day operations. 'It hasn't,' Greupner said. 'The goal remains the same. It's been business as usual. Really, we've been uninterrupted by the noise outside of the organization, and we've been given the resources we need, the stability we need.' Greupner cited the leadership of Kutsenda, a longtime business partner of Peter Seidler's, and the possibility that longtime general manager A.J. Preller will make more moves before Opening Day. 'As it was last year, some of the players that we've been most interested in — (Nick) Pivetta — being one of them — have come to us towards the end of the offseason,' Greupner said. The CEO also acknowledged the ongoing challenges of the team's television situation. Major League Baseball took over production and distribution of all Padres games in 2023, but the streaming model has yet to come close to producing the level of revenue San Diego received from its now-defunct regional sports network. 'The decline of the regional sports network business model … has impacted us in San Diego, no doubt,' said Greupner, who took the opportunity Tuesday to announce a long-term extension for popular play-by-play broadcaster Don Orsillo. 'We are confident that we're maximizing the opportunity that we have in our market through partnering with MLB Media at this time.' The Padres, at least, are anticipating a third consecutive season of robust attendance. Petco Park drew more than 3 million fans in both 2023 and 2024, and the team announced in January that season tickets were sold out. 'We knew, long-term, the sustainability of (the Padres') payroll is going to be determined by the fan support and the level of revenue we've been able to generate in our market,' Greupner said. 'You know, we remain one of the smallest media markets in baseball. Yet, despite that, our fans have been amazing, and they've supported this team, and we owe them an incredible debt of gratitude. And we're at a level right now with our payroll where we're putting everything that we have, that we can generate in our market, into this team. And for that to be a top-10 payroll is pretty amazing considering the size of our market.' Advertisement Greupner said he has known John Seidler for 13 years — the latter became a Padres minority owner in 2012 when Peter Seidler and San Diego businessman Ron Fowler led a group that purchased the franchise — and expects 'no change' in operations under the chairman-elect. John Seidler, who was unanimously approved by MLB's owners earlier this month, will not assume his role as control person until he takes over from Matt Seidler as the trustee of Peter Seidler's trust; with teams controlled by a trust, the league requires that the same person hold both titles. That process is expected to be completed by early-to-mid March, although it remains to be seen if the lawsuit brought by Sheel Seidler affects John Seidler's appointment. In the meantime, Padres executives have continued to say they are operating as if little has changed. 'I've spent a lot of time with (John Seidler) at Padres games and in Padres ownership meetings,' Greupner said. 'He's got a love for this franchise and a love for baseball. And he's excited to step into that role and continue what his brother Peter was leading for so many years, for the ownership group that he's a part of, and ultimately deliver that World Series championship to San Diego.'
