After a contentious legal fight among family members over control of the San Diego Padres following the death of owner Peter Seidler, the Seidler family finally completed its $3.9 billion sale of the team.
Dan Friedkin and Jose E. Feliciano, owners of English Premier League teams, and Joe Lacob, owner of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, were reportedly the top contenders to buy the San Diego Padres. However, Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, won the bid.
“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 after the league approved the sale. “Jose 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.”
The sale of the Padres is not only good for the Seidler family, it will also be great for team employees
The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that Padres employees were emailed last Thursday that they would receive bonuses after the ownership transfer to the group led by Feliciano and Jones was completed. Both full-time and part-time employees will get the bonuses.
The former owners will fund the bonuses by selling their shares, and those who roll over all or part of their team ownership will also contribute. Each individual with a stake in the team will contribute to the pool pro rata, with their contribution determined by their share size.
“The success of this franchise has always been about people, and so many dedicated individuals have contributed to the growth and accomplishments of the Padres throughout our family’s stewardship,” outgoing Padres chairman John Seidler said in a statement. “This bonus is a way for our ownership group to say thank you to the employees who helped make that success possible through their hard work, passion, and commitment to our organization and our community. We are deeply grateful for everything they have done and the role they have played in the Padres’ growth over the years.”
The media met the new San Diego Padres owners on Monday
In what was described as a wild scene by those in attendance, Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, made quite an impression during their introductory press conference on Monday.
“We All In,” an upbeat dance track written and performed by Jones, blared over the sound system, according to The Athletic. While the New York Post said “Jones stole the show with an Emmy Award worthy performance while discussing the team’s future.”
“We gonna win. We gonna win. We’re going to win. We’re going to win it all,” Jones said during the press conference. “We hope it’s sooner rather than later.”
“We need to win the World Series,” Feliciano said. “It’s that simple. That’s what we’re going to do.”
“I think of a legacy as what you live,” Jones added. “In addition to winning a World Series — and in fact, multiples, though we’ve got to get one first — the legacy that I anticipate we will be leaving and living is one where everything is elevated in San Diego, in the Baja communities, with the Padres organization.”