Padres Sale: Record-Breaking Bidder Groups Emerge

0:00It's April 17th. Welcome to MLB News Today, powered by AI. I'm Cory with the story. The San Diego Padre sale by the Seedler family is closing in on a deal with four finalist bitter groups still in the running. Reports say the price could hit $3.5 billion, smashing MLB records. This process kicked off back in November when the family started eyeing a full exit. Bidding started with five groups in February, now down to four heavy hitters. Leading them are Detroit Pistons owner Tom Goers, Golden State Warriors boss Joe Lakob, plus English Premier League players, Jose E. Feliciano from Feminist, Chelsea and Dan Freakin from Everton. All these folks already run pro sports teams, so there are no rookies. Ownership's been a mess for over two years since Peter Seiler passed in November 2023. His brother John took control after league approval, but family drama boiled over with lawsuits from Peter's widow against her brothers-in-law over.

1:03Trust issues and asset sales. That all settled out of court in February, clearing the path to sell. Current MLB records sits at $2.4 billion from Steve Cohen buying the Mets in 2020. Forbes values the Padre's at $1.9 billion, Sportico at $2.3, but the family's pushing for way more to make it worth their while. With these deep pocket bitters locked in, expect a record shattering close soon that shakes up San Diego Baseball and sets a new bar for franchise. Rises across the league.