Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees and Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob are among the parties pursuing a purchase of the San Diego Padres, Front Office Sports reported Friday.
Five bidding groups are involved in a quick-moving process that could set a record price for an MLB franchise, with an agreement potentially in place by Opening Day on March 26, per the report.
Four of the five bidders were identified in the report, including Lacob.
Brees, who began his NFL career with the then-San Diego
Chargers, is part of a group with Vuori CEO Joe Kudla.
The others are Dan Friedkin, owner of the Premier League's Everton and Serie A's AS Roma, and Jose E. Feliciano, co-owner of Premier League side Chelsea and founding partner of Clearlake Capital.
"We've had tremendous interest," Padres chairman John Seidler confirmed.
Factors driving up the sales price include the overall scarcity of available franchises, increases in attendance and viewership, and rising global fandom. The Padres ranked second in the league last season with a franchise-record attendance of 3.43 million, trailing only the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Steven Cohen's purchase of the New York Mets in 2020 for $2.4 billion is currently the league record but it's "quite likely the Padres deal will surpass that," FOS reported.
The Seidler family put the team on the market last November, two years after the death of former lead owner Peter Seidler.
--Field Level Media
