MLB owners unanimously approve Padres sale to José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones

Major League Baseball owners on Monday unanimously approved billionaire investors José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones as the new owners of the San Diego Padres.

The vote, which was conducted by conference call, concluded a process that began in April when Feliciano and Jones agreed to purchase the team from the Seidler family at a record valuation of $3.9 billion. The husband-wife duo is buying more than 40 percent of the franchise, with other individuals and entities joining them at a smaller combined percentage.

“It is my pleasure to welcome José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones as the new majority owners of the Padres following today’s vote,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement issued by the league. “José and Kwanza understand the unique place the Padres hold in San Diego and the powerful bond between the club and its fans. We look forward to their leadership of the Padres and to working with them to build on the club’s strong foundation in a market that is so important to Major League Baseball.”

Feliciano’s and Jones’ group includes longtime Padres minority owner Alfredo Harp Helú, who is said to be increasing his investment, and Joey and Jesse Buss, the youngest sons of former Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss. Some members of the Seidler family are retaining at least a portion of their stakes in the team.

The sale establishes a new benchmark for an MLB franchise valuation. The previous record for a transfer of control was set in 2020, when Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets for $2.4 billion. Despite playing in one of MLB’s smallest media markets, the Padres rank toward the top of the sport in revenue, which led to a competitive bidding process after the team went up for sale in November.

Feliciano, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $3.9 billion, is the co-founder and managing partner of private equity firm Clearlake Capital, as well as a co-controlling owner of Premier League club Chelsea. Feliciano will be named the Padres’ control person — MLB requires each franchise to designate one owner to be accountable to the league for the operation of their team — but he and Jones have said they plan to run the club as partners.

Jones, who met Feliciano while both attended Princeton University, is the founder and CEO of media and personal development company Supercharged. She and her husband co-founded the Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano Initiative, an investment and philanthropic organization that has committed more than $500 million to various efforts.

Feliciano and Jones will oversee a Padres team seeking its fifth postseason berth in seven years. San Diego, still without a World Series title, has won 17 of its past 22 games and currently occupies the National League’s final wild-card spot.

The Padres were previously sold in 2012 to a group led by Peter Seidler and Ron Fowler, who bought the team for $800 million. Seidler, a nephew of former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, became the team’s control person in 2020 and oversaw franchise-record spending until his death in 2023. His widow later sued two of his brothers, accusing them of breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud in their roles as trustees of Seidler’s trust.

Another Seidler brother, now-former Padres chairman John Seidler, announced in November that he and his family had begun exploring a potential sale of the team. Sheel Seidler, Peter’s widow, dismissed most of her claims against her brothers-in-law early this year.

“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I thank John Seidler and the entire Seidler family for their stewardship of the San Diego Padres,” Manfred said in the league’s official statement. “Continuing the legacy established by the late Peter Seidler, the Padres reached the postseason four times in the last six years, energized one of baseball’s most passionate fanbases, and strengthened the club’s role as a cornerstone of the San Diego community. We appreciate the Seidler family’s longstanding commitment to our National Pastime and their many contributions to the game.”