The San Diego Padres are yet again at a crossroads. It’s not just with what’s happening on the field. Overall, they have had a good last season. But, they are having an internal turmoil. Just over a year after Peter Seidler’s death, the team is wrapped up in a battle that threatens its future. A lawsuit was filed with Peter’s widow, Sheel Seidler, and it once again questions who exactly would run the foundation.

Now Sheel Seidler, in her long lawsuit, mentioned that Peter wanted her and their kids to be hands-on with the team. So she is all for being the control person for San Diego. Sheel also mentioned that Matt and Bob, currently the trustees of Peter’s estate, are blocking her efforts and they might even sell or relocate the team! Meanwhile, they are denying that Peter ever mentioned having his wife being a part of the franchise’s future. But this isn’t something new for the Padres.

The San Diego Padres constant ownership saga

Have you been familiar with the world of baseball? Well, then you might know how many hands the team has changed! And the story is almost too good for the film, full of family drama and bumpy roads. It all started with the Padres’ first owner, C. Arnholt Smith. He made waves when, in the 1970s, he made an unsuccessful attempt to relocate the team to Washington D.C. Smith who was a banker then, in a twist, went to jail for contempt of court! The team was off to a rocky start, and it’s still on the same wavelength. But this was just the beginning.

After Smith’s time, the San Diego Padres were in the hands of Ray Kroc, the head of McDonald’s. Yes, the burger brand! He showed promise and briefly saved the Padres from relocation. Great right? But only when fans were hopeful, Kroc’s sudden death back in 1984 due to a stroke, again made things uncertain. Then, his widow who was called Joan, inherited the club. Familiar, ain’t it? But then Joan spent the next few years trying to unload the club. Finally, in 1990, the team was sold to Tom Werner and a group of local investors.

But all hopes were dashed, as even Werner and investors couldn’t keep the ownership. And so, this time the team was sold to John Moores in 1994 for $80 million – that too, in the wake of the players’ strike. Moores and Larry Lucchino worked hard to build the team back. But they lost their World Series to the New York Yankees. And slowly, things started going downhill after the project was delayed because of 16 lawsuits! Then Lucchino was fired before the construction even began. So finally, Moores was forced to sell the club in a rather turbulent time, when he was going through a divorce with his ex-wife.

Now, the San Diego Padres are kinda in the same situation. Sheel now wants control. But the opposite party denies that! Given the history of changing hands, everyone might be anxious about what’s next, starting with Roki Sasaki!

Roki Sasaki’s update for Padres despite ownership drama

Even after all the uncertainty, many still believe that the Padres will sign Roki Sasaki. The 23-year-old pitching sensation has been the talk of the town ever since he was posted. Now the LA Dodgers were said to be the favorite, but MLB insider Jim Bowden believes otherwise. “Most in the industry believe he’ll end up signing with the Dodgers. However, I’m not in that camp.” And he has some legitimate reasons!

Bowden thinks that Sasaki would just be the shadow of Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in LA. This would lessen his endorsement ceiling, which is crucial, as Bowden mentioned since Sasaki won’t be eligible for arbitration for three years or free agency for at least six years.

According to Jim, Sasaki has a huge chance to go to the San Diego Padres because of Yu Darvish, a godfather-like influence on Sasaki. Plus he even mentored Roki during the 2023 World Baseball Classic. “Therefore, for no other reason, I’ll predict he signs with either the Yankees or San Diego,” mentioned Bowden. And not just him; even C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic mentioned how the Padres are front runners for Sasaki since he prefers a smaller market.

In San Diego, Sasaki would dominate the endorsement opportunities. The team recently extended the contract with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, so the stage is set for Sasaki to thrive. However, while Sasaki wants a small team, he also doesn’t want a team where the spotlight is always on.

It remains to see if Roki Sasaki will let go of this hiccup in the franchise at this point. Do you think he would still be interested?