San Diego Padres ownership groups emerge
The San Diego Padres are a team on the selling block, and it appears a few ownership groups could be interested in the club. Dan Hayes from the North County Times wrote that sports agent Dennis Gilbert is “believed to be among a group of potential buyers” while agent Arn Tellum “could also be in the mix”.
These groups could be interested in asking a former Padres legend like Dave Winfield, Tony Gwynn, or Steve Garvey to join their side to give them an edge. Garvey was in a group that tried to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers, but they fell short to Magic Johnson’s group. Instead, he may try to sign on and purchase the other NL West team he played for. There is a new movement in San Diego that is fueled by the acquisitions of top youngsters Yasmani Grandal, Brad Boxberger, and Yonder Alonso.
“Yes. Absolutely (interested in the Padres),” said Steve Garvey. “Obviously, I had so many years in Los Angeles. People equate me with that. But in the time we spent in San Diego, we accomplished a lot and laid a foundation for success.”
The Padres will have some future broadcast rights that could be worth $4 billion, and they are close to signing a deal worth $1 billion with Fox Sports. The Dodgers sale had an enormously positive effect on the Padres franchise value, as the likely price for the team will be at $2.15 billion instead of a previously estimated $1.4 billion.
The sale itself will take anywhere from half-a-year to a whole year, and either ownership group can greatly increase their chances by getting fan favorites Gwynn, Winfield, or Garvey on their sides. Garvey is extremely interested in being a part of the Padres franchise, while the other two have been quiet on that front.
Garvey definitely counts himself among the interested parties.
“They have a real solid, strong fan base that fluctuates,” Garvey said. “San Diego really supports the team. Then there’s the good seasons and they really turn out.”
I bet every fan wants to see the guy who had his number retired by the organization, which was mainly thanks to that famous home run in the 1984 NLCS. This seems like the perfect fit, and hopefully either Gilbert or Tellem can back him up financially and help him be a part of this improving franchise.
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