MLB commissioner Rob Manfred presents the Allan H. Selling Award for philanthropic excellence during the Winter Meetings at Manchester Grand Hyatt on Dec. 7, 2022 in San Diego. Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Rob Manfred Breaks Silence on Possible Padres Sale

Originally posted on San Diego Padres on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Nov 20, 2025 12:00 PM ET

Last week the family of late Padres owner Peter Seidler announced they were exploring a possible sale of the franchise.

Any change in ownership of a professional sports franchise is a seminal one, and of great interest to the commissioner.

Wednesday, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred commented publicly on the potential of a Padres sale for the first time.

Rob Manfred on Padres sale: "It’s a really appealing franchise. They’ve done a great job building a fan base. The in-ballpark experience in San Diego’s probably one of our best, they’ve got some great players and I expect there will be people that will be interested in buying"
— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) November 19, 2025

"It’s a really appealing franchise," Manfred said, via Evan Drellich of The Athletic. "They’ve done a great job building a fan base. The in-ballpark experience in San Diego’s probably one of our best, they’ve got some great players and I expect there will be people that will be interested in buying."

The sentiment reveals little that an outsider couldn't discern for themselves. However, it's still early in the process and the commissioner likely has little information to keep private.

The number of star players under long-term contract to the Padres — Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado — constitutes a rarity for a small-market team whose history has been marked by inconsistency and mediocrity.

It's also a reflection of the commitment to winning the Padres benefitted from with Seidler, who bought the majority stake in the team from Ron Fowler in 2020. By the end of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, the Padres ranked sixth in MLB in player payroll.

The Padres have placed in the Top 10 in all but one year-end ranking since — a dramatic departure in the history of a team that plays in one of the country's smaller media markets.

Any change to the team's ownership structure invites the possibility that the Padres' payroll will hew closer to the team's market size. Even potential sales have, in the past, prompted owners to trim expenses in advance of a possible transfer of ownership. Will the Padres' next owner build around the team's existing core, or try to tear it down?

The future of the Padres' media rights also invites questions for the team's next owner. Manfred has repeatedly expressed an interest in restructuring baseball's Regional Sports Network model.

Wednesday, the league announced a deal in which ESPN acquired local in-market rights to six teams including the Padres. That deal only runs through 2028, and the team's income could depend heavily on what lies on the other side.

Since May 2023, the Padres’ local broadcasts have been produced and distributed by MLB (via its local media operations) after ceasing ties with its former RSN, Diamond Sports Group.

Per a team press release, the Padres engaged BDT & MSD Partners, a trusted advisor to families and founder-led businesses, to guide the exploration of the sale.