The San Diego Padres’ ownership dispute appears to be negatively impacting the franchise in the free agent market.
Outfielder Jurickson Profar signed with the Atlanta Braves earlier this week after spending the last two seasons with San Diego. On Friday, Profar admitted that he wanted to return to the Padres, but the team’s ownership situation meant the two sides never came close to a deal.
“Obviously the Padres have some issue with the ownership and all that,” Profar said, via Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune. “It was difficult to go back (to San Diego), but Alex (Anthopoulous, Braves GM) showed a lot, a lot of interest in me and I loved that.”
The Padres have been in a state of uncertainty at ownership level since Peter Seidler’s death in November 2023. The team announced that John Seidler, Peter’s brother, would be the new control person at ownership level in December, but Seidler’s widow Sheel filed a lawsuit earlier this month seeking control of the franchise. That legal maneuvering has come amid speculation that the Padres are looking to cut payroll and potentially trade some of their high-priced stars.
Profar was an All-Star for the Padres last season, but left to sign a three-year, $42 million deal with Atlanta. If he was impacted by ownership concerns, that does not bode well for the Padres’ chances of holding their core together long-term.
