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Late Padres owner's widow, Sheel Seidler, suing Peter Seidler's brothers for control of team

The lawsuit alleges that the Seidler siblings are attempting to sell — and perhaps relocate — the Padres

ian casselberry
Contributing writer
·3-min read
FILE - San Diego Padres Chairman Peter Seidler speaks at a news conference to announce finalizing a contract with Xander Bogaerts, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File)
San Diego Padres team owner Peter Seidler died in November 2023. His widow and brothers are now fighting for control of the team. (AP Photo/Denis Poroy, File)

The San Diego Padres are facing a battle for ownership of the team. Perhaps adding to the drama is a family conflict.

Sheel Seidler, the widow of late team owner Peter Seidler, has filed a lawsuit against her husband's brothers for control of the Padres. In the complaint filed Monday in Texas state probate court, Sheel Seidler claims that Bob and Matt Seidler committed "breaches of fiduciary duty and fraud" as trustees of the Seidler Trust that controls the franchise.

She alleges that the brothers have "irreconcilable conflicts of interest" and sold assets of the trust to themselves at "far below-market prices" in an effort to gain control of the team.

Peter Seidler died in November 2023 at the age of 63 after a months-long illness. He became the chairman and largest stakeholder in the Padres in 2020 after being part of the group that purchased the team in 2012.

"As the holder of the largest individual ownership stake in the San Diego Padres, and the sole beneficiary of the Seidler Trusts, which possess exclusive rights with respect to control of the franchise, I am seeking to be named the control person for the Padres," Sheel Seidler said in a statement posted on social media.

Seidler said in the complaint that she was frequently involved in team business while her husband owned the team, according to Sportico. That included input on daily operations, management hirings and free-agent signings. Seidler claims that their children played a role in negotiations on a contract extension with third baseman Manny Machado in 2023.

This dispute is becoming public as the Padres are navigating their offseason, which includes the pursuit of Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki.

The complaint further accuses the Seidler brothers of pursuing an initiative to sell the Padres — and maybe even relocate the franchise.

"Matt's efforts to promote his brother John as Control Person and to block Sheel may well be part of his efforts to sell, and perhaps relocate, the team, over Sheel's strident objections," a section of the lawsuit reads, via The Athletic's Evan Drellich.

The two brothers are also "attempting to force the appointment" of an older sibling, John Seidler, as the team's control person, according to the lawsuit. The Padres announced in December that John would be the next person to take that role, pending Major League Baseball approval, reports The Athletic.

In the meantime, Eric Kutsenda, a friend and business partner of Peter Seidler, is acting as interim control person. Kutsenda is believed to also hold a small stake in the team, but less than the 15% required by MLB. However, the league made an exception for Kutsenda because his position is temporary.

The Peter Seidler Trust issued a statement through a spokesperson asserting that the lawsuit is "entirely without merit."

"Peter had a clear estate plan," said the statement. "The plan specifically named three of his nine siblings, with whom he had worked closely for many decades, as successor trustees of his trust and Peter himself prohibited Sheel from ever serving as trustee."

The statement went on to declare that Sheel Seidler agreed in a sworn document that "she had no right to be or to designate the Control Person" and would not interfere with the process to choose someone for that role.

The Padres are valued at $2.03 billion, the 15th-most valuable MLB club, according to Sportico. Forbes has the team's value at $1.78 billion.