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New York Times
13-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
John Seidler takes over as Padres' control person with ‘no change' expected
The older brother of late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler has taken over as the franchise's ultimate decision-maker. A little more than two weeks before the start of the 2025 regular season, Wednesday marked John Seidler's first official day as Padres control person. Major League Baseball's owners voted unanimously last month to approve Seidler as the team's permanent control person, with the understanding that he would formally assume the role once he became the trustee of Peter Seidler's trust. That process is now complete. Advertisement John Seidler, 65, succeeds Eric Kutsenda, who had served as the team's interim control person since Peter Seidler died in November 2023. The team's day-to-day operations are expected to remain largely the same under John Seidler, although his ascension comes two months after Peter Seidler's widow sued two other Seidler brothers as part of an attempt to gain control of the club. Sheel Seidler, in a lawsuit filed Jan. 6 in Texas probate court, accused Matt and Bob Seidler of fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty in their roles as successor trustees of Peter Seidler's trust. Matt Seidler, whom John Seidler has replaced as trustee, filed a response to the complaint in late January. Bob Seidler's answer remains pending. Sheel Seidler alleged as part of her suit that John Seidler is a 'civil engineer' with 'no ties to the San Diego community' and 'without professional involvement in the Padres.' Matt Seidler, in his response, described John Seidler as a frequent attendee at Padres' home games and team ownership meetings, as well as an 'accomplished entrepreneur and leader.' John Seidler, who has a home in San Diego, became a Padres minority owner when Peter Seidler and Ron Fowler led a group that purchased the franchise in 2012. John Seidler was not made available for an interview Wednesday, although he is expected to speak at a later date. Padres CEO Erik Greupner said last month that he first met Seidler 13 years ago. Greupner said he anticipated 'no change' in operations under the then-chairman-elect. 'I've spent a lot of time with him 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 (a) World Series championship to San Diego.' Advertisement In the weeks after Peter Seidler's death, the Padres slashed a franchise-record $255 million payroll by close to nine figures. They went on to surprise most prognosticators, advancing to the 2024 National League Division Series before falling to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Their current projected payroll is back above $200 million, although the front office — still facing potential holes at catcher, left field and designated hitter — has entertained trade interest in multiple key players. 'We have been pursuing a long-term plan that was set years ago … and we're exactly where we had expected to be from a payroll perspective,' Greupner said in February. 'We feel like we're at a level — it'll likely end up being a top-10 payroll in baseball — that is sufficient from a resource perspective to go out and win a World Series championship.'
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.'
New York Times
06-02-2025
- Business
- New York Times
MLB owners approve John Seidler as new head of San Diego Padres
PALM BEACH, Fla. — One month after a legal dispute between family members of late Padres chairman Peter Seidler spilled into public view, Major League Baseball's owners have unanimously approved Seidler's older brother, John Seidler, as the control person of the San Diego franchise. The appointment will become official once John Seidler takes over as the trustee of Peter Seidler's trust, a process that could take about 30 days to complete. Advertisement It remains to be seen if pending litigation affects that process. Thursday's vote came a little more than four weeks after Peter Seidler's widow, Sheel Seidler, sued two of her husband's younger brothers, Matt and Bob Seidler, as part of an attempt to become the club's controlling owner. For teams controlled by a trust, the league requires that the permanent control person also serve as the trustee. If appointed, John Seidler will simultaneously succeed Matt Seidler as trustee and Eric Kutsenda as Padres chairman. Seidler, 65, could soon oversee a team that won 93 games last season and took the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink in the National League Division Series. Yet, after spending record sums under Peter Seidler, the Padres have operated with a significantly tighter budget for a second consecutive winter. Similar restraint is expected to continue under John Seidler, at least in the short term. A nephew of former Dodgers owner Peter O'Malley, John Seidler has been a Padres minority owner since Peter Seidler and San Diego businessman Ron Fowler led a group that purchased the franchise in 2012. Peter Seidler, who took over as control person in 2020, died in November 2023 of an infection related to a compromised immune system. The Padres chairman was replaced on an interim basis by Kutsenda, a longtime friend and co-founder of Seidler's private equity firm. A little more than a year later, Matt Seidler announced Dec. 21 that he had appointed John Seidler as the team's permanent control person, pending the approval of three-quarters of the league's owners. On Jan. 6, Sheel Seidler filed a complaint in Texas probate court, contesting control of the Padres and accusing Matt and Bob Seidler of fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty in their roles as successor trustees of Peter Seidler's trust. It was later revealed that the two brothers and Kutsenda had previously initiated arbitration proceedings against Sheel Seidler for some of the claims in her lawsuit. Advertisement In the suit, Sheel Seidler said John Seidler is a civil engineer with 'no ties to the San Diego community' and 'without professional involvement in the Padres.' In a response filed last week, Matt Seidler said John Seidler is a frequent attendee at Padres' home games and an 'accomplished entrepreneur and leader' whose business credentials include serving as CEO of an engineering consulting firm. The filing also said that Peter Seidler never intended for his wife to serve as his trustee or Padres control person. Sheel Seidler's lawsuit petitioned the court to void John Seidler's nomination as control person and appoint a neutral third party as trustee. Legal experts have said the dispute could take months or years to be resolved. Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuit, the Padres face challenges to sustaining their status as a postseason contender. The team's projected $205 million payroll is up from last season, but most of the increase has come through salary raises, and San Diego has added minimal financial commitments in free agency and trades. With pitchers and catchers reporting next week, the front office is considering trading away key players to address obvious holes in the roster. The Padres' somber offseason stands in contrast to the excitement Peter Seidler generated as an owner who brought star players to San Diego and paid them handsomely, sometimes relying on creative financing. The team since his death has returned to compliance with MLB's debt-service rules, and the Seidler family, as evidenced by Thursday's vote, is considered to be in good standing with the league. Meanwhile, people familiar with the Seidler brothers' thinking say they have no intention to sell the franchise. Still, the family conflict has rendered the Padres' future uncertain, with some in the industry predicting that ownership eventually will consider a sale. The Seidler family is believed to hold about a 45 percent stake in a franchise that Forbes valued last year at $1.78 billion. That includes Sheel Seidler and her three children, who are beneficiary owners of the trust that owns approximately a quarter of the club. (with reports from The Athletic's Evan Drellich)
