O’Malley Family Close to Buying San Diego Padres
The O’Malley family is quite famous in baseball circles. Walter O’Malley was the long-time Dodgers’ owner –
the very same owner that moved the team from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Now his son, Peter, is in interested in purchasing the San Diego Padres. That purchase, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune, could be coming soon.
"“All things being equal, if the O’Malleys are there on the price they will own the Padres,” said the source. “(Majority owner John) Moores knows the O’Malleys would be welcomed by Major League Baseball, which could expedite the sale process.”"
Most sources had the bidding for the Padres down to just two groups; the O’Malley group and a group led by Gary Jabara, an Orange County mobile communications magnate. With the family history and ties to baseball history, the O’Malley group seems to have the inside track with Major League Baseball and the other 29 owners.
Center says the sale likely won’t go through as quickly as most believed and the new target date for completion is the All-Star break. From previous reports, John Moores, the current Padres majority owner, was looking for upwards of $800 million for the team and the television contract.
The Padres are 21 games under .500 and own the second worst record in the league. They have a long history of being one of the lowest payroll teams in baseball. Until a new owner is in place, there is no way of knowing for sure whether that will change.
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