A bitter family feud over control of the San Diego Padres has taken another dramatic turn, with accusations flying about lost opportunities and millions in disputed payments.
Sheel Seidler, whose husband Peter owned the team until his death in November, is locked in a legal battle with her brothers-in-law Matthew and Robert over who should run the franchise.
But now Matthew’s hitting back hard.
In a newly filed court response, he claims Sheel demanded huge payouts from the family trust – money he says was meant to protect her children’s inheritance, not generate big income for her.
The drama might have already cost the Padres on the field. The team apparently lost their shot at signing Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki, who just joined their rivals, the LA Dodgers, for $6.5 million.
“We knew it was an issue,” said Sasaki’s agent Joel Wolfe. “The timing of it appeared oddly strategic.”
The lawsuit’s timing couldn’t have been worse for the Padres’ hopes of landing the 23-year-old star. Sheel filed her bombshell allegations on January 6, right when the team was in crucial negotiations with Sasaki, who had to make his decision by January 23.
When Sasaki announced he was joining the Dodgers, he specifically mentioned their front office stability as a key factor. It’s pretty hard to claim stability when family members are suing each other.
The Padres’ problems run deeper than just missing out on one player. General manager A.J. Preller is feeling pressure after spending big but failing to reach the World Series. And now the ownership mess is making everything harder.
Here’s the really tough part for Padres fans: While you can fix a bad roster or replace coaches, messy ownership situations tend to drag on and hurt teams for years.
Only Sasaki knows for sure how much the Seidler family drama influenced his choice. But one thing’s crystal clear – the Padres need to sort out their ownership situation fast if they want to compete with more stable franchises like the Dodgers.
