Under Peter Seidler's leadership, the Padres Foundation increased its charitable giving by 1000%getty images
The Padres, following the
death of Chair Peter Seidler, will "take the week to mourn as an organization, setting aside all nonessential business," according to Kevin Acee of the SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE. The team's managerial search will be "halted temporarily," with a new manager "expected to be named next week before the Thanksgiving holiday." People began "leaving flowers and messages on the stairs inside the Home Plate Gate" at Petco Park yesterday afternoon, hours after Seidler’s death. The gate was scheduled to "remain open until midnight, reopen at 6 a.m. Wednesday and remain open again until midnight.” No public memorial has been announced, though the Padres “plan to honor Seidler during the 2024 season.” Seidler, who founded Seidler Equity Partners in 1992, was part of the group that bought the Padres in August 2012. He moved to San Diego and “quickly became active in philanthropic causes,” including "working to alleviate homelessness." In large part due to Seidler’s leadership, the Padres Foundation -- the team’s charitable organization -- "increased its annual giving" by 1,000%. He became Padres chair -- the team’s principal owner -- in Nov. 2020 following the retirement of Ron Fowler. Seidler became "almost instantly beloved after taking over daily operation of the team," as fans “felt he was essentially one of them as evidenced by his increased spending and exuberance" (
SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 11/14).
CHAMPIONSHIP PURSUIT: In N.Y., Jesus Jimenez writes Seidler was "not shy about his ambitions to win a World Series with the Padres, no matter the cost.” Under his leadership, the Padres “spent big on players in hopes of winning a title.” Siedler as chair pursued a "more aggressive spending approach" with the Padres, as they acquired Ps Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove ahead of the 2021 season. By the start of the 2023 season, the Padres had "one of the largest payrolls" in MLB, with "some -- including the commissioner -- questioning whether such spending was sustainable" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/14). ESPN.com's Buster Olney writes Seidler was a "baseball fan who became a champion for baseball fans in San Diego, effectively spending his own money in an effort to win that franchise's first title." He was the "kind of owner that all baseball fans dream of." Seidler was "devoted to the idea of winning a championship for Padres fans" and was "willing to trade profits for the fun" (ESPN.com, 11/14).
BELOVED FIGURE: In San Diego, Nick Canepa wrote Seidler was a "helluva man, husband and father, businessman, and the most gentle and yet, oddly, daring among all of the owners of our teams." Canepa: "Peter had a spine. He was unafraid. He was loyal (maybe too loyal)." He spent "hundreds of millions chasing a championship" and "never pulled back from his goal, which was to bring a World Series championship to San Diego." Canepa: "I’ve dealt with every owner of a San Diego sports team since Gene Klein. Some I’ve liked, some I tolerated, some I couldn’t stand. But Peter was different. He cared so much, and his passion for success was unequaled. ... I don’t know what will happen with the franchise now that Peter’s gone. My only hope is that it will be run by someone with a heart and soul close to Peter’s" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 11/14). THE ATHLETIC's Dennis Lin wrote Seidler will be "remembered as an owner who indeed treated the Padres as a social institution, who lifted the franchise to unprecedented prominence and who set himself apart until the end." In an industry "known for its pursuit of cold, hard profit," Seidler was a "beloved figure, even as he helped turn Petco Park into one of baseball’s most popular destinations" (THE ATHLETIC, 11/14).
ORDINARY PEOPLE: In San Diego, Bryce Miller wrote San Diego "lost far more than someone who pumped money into the Padres" in an "endless effort to deliver a World Series to the city." It mourned its "most compassionate caretaker, who relentlessly tried to impact a rampant homeless problem." Seidler would take "wee-morning walks" along Mission Boulevard in Pacific Beach and there was "absolutely nothing guarded or phony about the connections he forged, ambling up and down the boardwalk until 1 a.m. or later." No matter the "withering roadblocks of those Seidler touched, one after another immediately sensed and was drawn by the genuine kindness." This was "no deep-pocketed sports owner, building a fortress around his dollars and universe." This was a "singularly kind man who valued everyone, no matter the ruckus in their lives" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 11/14).
