Padres could be for sale
Peter Seidler was a part of the original investment group that purchased the San Diego Padres in 2012 from John Moores for $800 million. Seidler’s investment in the team and role within the group’s leadership continued to grow over the years until he took over as the club’s key control person in 2020.
Seidler was generally well-liked in baseball circles, as the rare owner who wasn’t afraid to spend to build his team into a consistent contender. San Diego has won 90+ games in each of the last two seasons and has reached the postseason in four of the last six years. Attendance has never been higher at home games. Several notable players — including Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, and Fernando Tatis Jr. — signed lucrative long-term contracts with the team during his tenure.
Seidler was directly involved in talks to extend Juan Soto, with an agreement thought to be in reach, before his untimely death at age 63 in November 2023 from non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Everything changed from there. Soto would be traded weeks later and a long, protracted legal battle began between Peter’s widow, Sheel Seidler, and his brothers, Matt and Bob, over control of the team. Lawsuits filed by her against them for selling Peter’s assets “far below value” remain unsettled in court. Eventually, another brother, John, was named as the club’s control person earlier this year.
The Padres announced on Thursday that the Seidler family “would explore its options as owners of the team, including a potential sale of the franchise.”
It’s unclear if the Seidlers will sell their entire stake in the team or simply look to bring on minority investors (similar to what the Pohlad family did in Minnesota after spending months listening to offers to sell the Twins). At least one minority owner is already looking to sell their stake (roughly 10%) in the team, according to a report from Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Early estimates, per Acee, suggest the Padres hold a $1.8 billion valuation.
Rakuten faces financing questions for its CPBL franchise
Headlines from Taiwan and the CPBL have centered on the Rakuten Monkeys in recent weeks. The club won the CPBL’s Taiwan Series in late October, the team’s eighth championship in franchise history. Since that victory, Rakuten has been the center of a brewing scandal about the conditions the team maintains for its players.
Some of the concerns raised include:
Rakuten’s minor league players are provided with dormitory-style housing, but players suggest the conditions are deplorable. The floors are damp and “swamp-like”, the plumbing is outdated, and the building is generally unsafe. Additionally, it is located in a noisy industrial neighborhood.
Meals provided to players lack substance, particularly protein, or taste.
The team’s cheerleaders (a common thing with teams in the CPBL), known as the Rakuten Girls, have not been paid since August. It is reportedly the third time in the last two years the squad has seen disruptions in their payments.
After winning the Taiwan Series Championship, the players were asked to pay for their own “victory banquet”.
Non-playing staff (trainers, interpreters, etc.) were given a “Championship bonus” that equated to roughly $150 USD.
Rakuten informed manager Kenji Furukobo that his contract would not be renewed just days after winning the series.
Team officials have been accused of limiting media access to the team since the scandal started brewing, requiring questions to be submitted in advance.
The issues have grown to such a level of concern that CPBL commissioner Tsai Chi-chang reportedly has met directly with Rakuten officials to “urge them to allocate more funding to the team.”
Part of what makes this situation so concerning is Rakuten’s size, as it is one of the 100 largest companies based in Japan. The international giant also owns the Golden Eagles in the NPB, yet somehow, their CPBL franchise appears to be treated like an afterthought.
Further frustrating the Monkeys’ fan base, the team is in danger of losing Pedro Fernández in free agency, with reports suggesting the CTBC Brothers will make a strong push to sign the 31-year-old right-hander. Fernández was 15-2 with a 2.01 ERA over 170.0 IP this season, his third in the league, winning the CPBL MVP Award. Fernández spent eight seasons in the minor leagues with the Royals and Brewers organizations, posting a 3.56 ERA over 543.0 IP, before heading overseas.
Chan-Ho Park could get a record contract in the KBO
Chan-Ho Park (not the former Dodgers right-hander pitcher, but another player of the same name) has been among the more popular names in KBO free agency. Reports from South Korea suggest a bidding war has started between four teams, which could push Park’s eventual contract into record territory.
Park’s early career was rather uneven. He earned his role largely on promise, but struggled early on both sides of the ball — routine defensive plays would prove challenging, and he once finished the season with the lowest batting average among qualified hitters. The KIA Tigers stuck with him, believing he was capable of more (not entirely unlike the Yankees’ approach with Anthony Volpe).
The patience paid off, with Park becoming one of the KBO’s top shortstops over the last few seasons. Scouts tend to view him as one of the league’s best defensive options at the position, showing an increased range and better throwing decisions. He’s won a pair of stolen base titles. His offensive game was improved, too, with batting averages over .300 in 2023 and 2024 before “slipping” to a .287/.363/.359 line this past year.
The 30-year-old is a .266/.328/.332 hitter over his 10 seasons in the KBO, all with the Tigers.
KIA is believed to be “making an all-out effort” to retain Park. The Lotte Giants, KT wiz, and a fourth unnamed team are also thought to be in pursuit of Park, who isn’t expected to return to the Tigers.
Ji-hwan Oh signed the KBO’s richest contract for a shortstop in 2024, agreeing to a six-year deal worth 12.4 billion won (10 billion won in guaranteed salary, plus 2.4 billion in incentives). Several reports suggest the bidding for Park could push into a similar annual value (2 billion won; roughly $1.36 million USD).
Elsewhere, around the sport …
Costly insurance premiums may prevent several NPB players from being available to Venezuela as they assemble their roster for March’s World Baseball Classic. Venezuela may be without José Osuna, Anderson Espinoza, Andrés Machado, and several others who are signed to 2026 contracts with teams in the NPB.
Phillies left-hander José Alvarado will also reportedly not be joining Venezuela for the tournament. Alvarado was suspended for 80 games last season after failing a drug test for banned substances. The suspension disqualifies him from participating in the WBC. Alvarado declined to appeal the decision so that he could play.
Persistent ankle injuries plagued Dodgers utilityman Tommy Edman all season, limiting him to a .225/.274/.382 line over 377 PA. Edman will undergo surgery on his right ankle next week. He is expected to be ready in time for spring training, but Edman has ruled himself out of consideration for Korea’s roster for the WBC.
Unsurprisingly, when asked about the reports during his Cy Young Award conference call with reporters, Paul Skenes denied rumors about his interest in playing for the Yankees.
Italy already has one former Yankees catcher in the dugout for the WBC, with Francisco Cervelli set to manage the team. It appears they’ll add a second, as Jorge Posada has reportedly agreed to join his staff and help out in a yet-to-be-determined capacity. The pair were teammates from 2008-20011.
Carlos Beltran, Bobby Valentine, and Lee Mazzilli will be inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame during the 2026 season, according to a report from SNY.tv’s Danny Abriano.