NEW YORK -- The transfer of control of the San Diego Padres to the new ownership group led by Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano has been unanimously approved by the league and its owners, Major League Baseball announced on Monday.
Jones and Feliciano will jointly lead the club’s ownership group with Feliciano designated as the team’s control person. The unanimous vote essentially finalizes the sale process. The Seidler family had reached an agreement to transfer control of the team to Jones and Feliciano in May.
“We are a family first, and becoming owners of the San Diego Padres means joining an even larger one,” Jones and Feliciano said in a statement. “We are grateful to the Seidler family, and especially to Peter, for raising the expectations of what this franchise can achieve. We have built our life and our work together, and we will bring that same shared purpose, commitment, and determination to our stewardship of the Padres. It is a source of immense pride and an extraordinary opportunity to become part of a team, a tradition, and the San Diego community that has supported it so faithfully.
“Our ambition is clear: to bring a World Series championship to San Diego and build an enduring organization capable of competing for championships year after year. We intend to be engaged owners, bringing our energy, experience, and perspective while working alongside the talented team already in place and investing ambitiously and thoughtfully in the Padres’ future. That means pursuing excellence and innovation throughout the organization, delivering a first-class experience at Petco Park, deepening the bond with the faithful fans, and making a positive impact across the San Diego community. We are all in and committed to winning.”
The closing of the transaction and ownership transition is scheduled to occur in the coming days, with Jones and Feliciano to be introduced in a press conference at Petco Park on Aug. 24. CEO Erik Greupner and general manager A.J. Preller will continue to lead day to day operations of the team.
“On behalf of Major League Baseball, I thank John Seidler and the entire Seidler family for their stewardship of the San Diego Padres,” Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said in a statement. “Continuing the legacy established by the late Peter Seidler, the Padres reached the postseason four times in the last six years, energized one of baseball’s most passionate fanbases, and strengthened the club’s role as a cornerstone of the San Diego community. We appreciate the Seidler family’s longstanding commitment to our national pastime and their many contributions to the game.
“It is my pleasure to welcome José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones as the new majority owners of the Padres following today’s vote. José 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.”
Feliciano and Jones are husband and wife and co-founders of the Kwanza Jones and José E. Feliciano Initiative, a private family office established in 2014. Jones serves as CEO of the family office and has served as a board member and advisor to numerous institutions. Feliciano is the co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital Group. He has served as a board member of various organizations as well.
Through their initiative, Jones and Feliciano have established a wide-ranging philanthropic platform. Per Monday’s press release, “Their work reflects a shared belief in the transformative power of opportunity, inclusion, and community investment -- values that will inform their shared stewardship of the Padres and their relationship with San Diego.”
They take over the Padres at a fascinating time for the franchise. The Padres are in the midst of the most successful era in club history, having reached the postseason in four of the past six years. They’ve ranked second in the Majors in attendance in each of the last two seasons, and they’ve broken the franchise attendance record in three years running.
Presently, the Padres are in the mix for one of the last couple playoff spots in the National League -- which would mark the first time in franchise history that San Diego has reached the postseason in three straight years.
Among other things, Jones and Feliciano will be tasked with building on all of the organization’s recent successes and bringing the franchise its first World Series title.
“We are all in and committed to winning,” their statement read.
Jones and Feliciano take over from the Seidler family, which was part of the group that bought the franchise for $800 million from previous owner John Moores in 2012. Ron Fowler served as executive chairman from 2012-20, before Peter Seidler, who had been one of the team’s lead investors during those eight years, took over as control person following the ‘20 season.
Seidler served in that role for three years before his death in November 2023, and the team remained owned by his family afterward, with Peter Seidler’s eldest brother, John, named chairman prior to the 2025 season.
The Padres announced they would be exploring the potential sale of the club last November, with the process moving relatively swiftly from there. An agreement for the sale was reached in May, with Monday’s vote marking a culmination of that process.