The older brother of late San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler has taken over as the franchise’s ultimate decision-maker. A little more than two weeks before the start of the 2025 regular season, Wednesday marked John Seidler’s first official day as Padres control person.
Major League Baseball’s owners voted unanimously last month to approve Seidler as the team’s permanent control person, with the understanding that he would formally assume the role once he became the trustee of Peter Seidler’s trust. That process is now complete.
John Seidler, 65, succeeds Eric Kutsenda, who had served as the team’s interim control person since Peter Seidler died in November 2023. The team’s day-to-day operations are expected to remain largely the same under John Seidler, although his ascension comes two months after Peter Seidler’s widow sued two other Seidler brothers as part of an attempt to gain control of the club.
Sheel Seidler, in a lawsuit filed Jan. 6 in Texas probate court, accused Matt and Bob Seidler of fraud and breaches of fiduciary duty in their roles as successor trustees of Peter Seidler’s trust. Matt Seidler, whom John Seidler has replaced as trustee, filed a response to the complaint in late January. Bob Seidler’s answer remains pending.
Sheel Seidler alleged as part of her suit that John Seidler is a “civil engineer” with “no ties to the San Diego community” and “without professional involvement in the Padres.” Matt Seidler, in his response, described John Seidler as a frequent attendee at Padres’ home games and team ownership meetings, as well as an “accomplished entrepreneur and leader.”
John Seidler, who has a home in San Diego, has been a Padres minority owner since Peter Seidler and Ron Fowler led a group that purchased the franchise in 2012. John Seidler was not made available for an interview Wednesday, although he is expected to speak at a later date.
Padres CEO Erik Greupner said last month that he first met Seidler 13 years ago. Greupner said he anticipated “no change” in operations under the then-chairman-elect.
“I’ve spent a lot of time with him at Padres games and in Padres ownership meetings,” Greupner said. “He’s got a love for this franchise and a love for baseball. And he’s excited to step into that role and continue what his brother Peter was leading for so many years, for the ownership group that he’s a part of, and ultimately deliver (a) World Series championship to San Diego.”
In the weeks after Peter Seidler’s death, the Padres slashed a franchise-record $255 million payroll by close to nine figures. They went on to surprise most prognosticators, advancing to the 2024 National League Division Series before falling to the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Their current projected payroll is back above $200 million, although the front office — still facing potential holes at catcher, left field and designated hitter — has entertained trade interest in multiple key players.
“We have been pursuing a long-term plan that was set years ago … and we’re exactly where we had expected to be from a payroll perspective,” Greupner said in February. “We feel like we’re at a level — it’ll likely end up being a top-10 payroll in baseball — that is sufficient from a resource perspective to go out and win a World Series championship.”
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(Photo: Denis Poroy / Associated Press)
