The Padres are for sale and they seem to be making progress on that front. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the field of potential buyers has been narrowed from five to four and that the process could be complete by April. Both Acee and Jeff Passan of ESPN report that the sale price is expected to exceed $3 billion.
The Seidler family announced in November that they would be pursuing a sale of the franchise. At that time, it appeared some squabbling within the family could hamper those efforts but reporting in February indicated that some of the legal bumps had been smoothed out and that five prospective buyers had submitted bids. It appears that one of the groups has been removed from the bidding, though Acee doesn’t specify who’s out and who’s still in.
If the price does indeed go beyond $3 billion, that would easily set a new benchmark. The highest sale price for an MLB franchise to date is the $2.4 billion Steve Cohen plonked down to purchase the Mets in 2020.
Turning to the roster, it seems increasingly likely that Joe Musgrove will start the season on the injured list. The righty is looking to get back on the mound after Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2025 season. It was reported three days ago that Musgrove was being brought along slowly in camp. Acee reported yesterday that Musgrove still hasn’t thrown again in the past few days. He pitched three innings in an exhibition game on March 4th but didn’t recover as hoped and has only thrown one bullpen session since then.
The Padres say they are being cautious, with manager Craig Stammen referring to it as a “holding pattern” and a “pause” for Musgrove as they make sure he’s ready to proceed to the next step. “Waiting to kind of get over that hump, feel a little bit better before we start doing anything out on the field,” Stammen said. “But still in a good spot, still something we knew was going to happen, had to prepare for. We’ve got his best interest in mind.”
Even if there’s nothing serious going on, Opening Day is two weeks away, so each day with no progress increases the chances of an IL stint. The Padres are set to open the season with Michael King, Nick Pivetta and Randy Vásquez in three rotation spots. Acee pegs Germán Márquez and Walker Buehler as the favorites for the final two spots, assuming Musgrove hits the IL. Márquez is already on the 40-man roster but Buehler doesn’t yet have a spot. He can opt out of his deal at the end of camp if he doesn’t have one.
Whatever the Friars do for Opening Day will be temporary. Musgrove will be back in the mix at some point. Matt Waldron is behind schedule due to hemorrhoid surgery but is ramping up now. He is expected to start the season on the IL but shouldn’t miss too much time. He is out of options so the Friars would have to find a spot for him on the active roster or bump him off the 40-man. Griffin Canning will also be looking to rejoin the rotation at some point, likely a few weeks later than Musgrove and Waldron.
On the infield, Sung Mun Song is trying to work through a nagging right oblique issue. He may open the season on the injured list, which could have opened a bench spot for someone like Will Wagner. Unfortunately, Acee relays that Wagner is dealing with an oblique strain of his own and has not done any baseball activity since the start of March. He will almost certainly join Song on the IL to start the year. That could increase the chances of someone like Ty France or Mason McCoy getting an Opening Day spot.
Like Buehler, France can opt out of his deal at the end of camp if he’s not added to the 40-man. The Friars opened a spot this week by outrighting Daison Acosta but would need one more if they select both Buehler and France. That won’t be hard. Yu Darvish and Bryan Hoeing are both expected to miss the 2026 season due to surgeries and neither has been moved to the 60-day IL yet.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
The field of bidders was always 4, but Acee f’d up and tried to say that Brees and Kudla were one of the bidders. He is wrong more often than he is right and there are other sources of information about the Padres that are correct most of the time.
Musgrove threw an intersquad game on the 9th, exactly when he would have typically pitched in a game. Acee should know that because he was at camp that day. With 2 days off in the first 8 games, the Padres don’t need 5 starters until the 2nd week in April.
McCoy is the only true SS on the 40 man other than Bogaerts and he is the favorite to get that bench spot, not Wagner. Another mess up by Acee.
Castellanos is expected to make the squad, not France, but that may change. Song played in a backfields game this morning, so he seems on pace to make the team on opening day.
Buehler is throwing 92, 2 MPH less than last season when he was entirely ineffective, and 4 MPH lower than his most effective seasons with the Dodgers. AJ Cassavell believes the Padres’ fifth starter to open the season will be German Marquez, not Buehler. Barring more injuries, if Buehler makes the squad, it will be as a long reliever.
Canning said this morning that he thinks he will need a rehab assignment to build up his pitch count before joining the rotation, but that his leg feels good and his velocity is right where he needs it to be. If he goes out on a month-long rehab assignment at the end of camp, that puts him in the rotation at the end of April.
It is sad that it’s better to read the blogs about the Padres than the daily newspaper’s beat writer because the blogs have a better grasp on what is actually going on.
$3 Billion ruminations. Musgrove preservations. Oblique restorations. France has a chance. 40-man manifestations. Check, check, check, check and check.
And perhaps new money cash infusions by June ?? Preller should really be open to new ownership throwing some money around. If he says, No, I am up for the challenge…kinda like Elias with Rubinstein his first year. That wouldn’t be prudent.
will be interesting to see what messages are sent by the new ownership, when and if.
Padres are 6th in spending for 2026. They are about $10 million behind last seasons $279 million which was 6th in spending. The Orioles were 29th in spending when Rubenstein purchased the team.
Preller was not in Peoria or at Hohokam today and rumors are that he was at the Red Sox/Rays game in Ft Myers. Something big may be coming.
When Arte sells the Angels he will get $4B easily.
It is bizarre to me that it is a mid market club and the team itself is over paid and in shambles, but it could break the team sale price record.
Makes one want to question the shambles narrative, eh?
It’s not bizarre, it’s inflation. Almost all of the 30 teams, if they were sold today would bring in more than the $2.4B that Cohen paid 5 years ago.
Two straight seasons with 90 wins equals a team in shambles? Other than one year to dip under the CBT, the Padres just keep spending. Makes you say HMMM to the media narrative, doesn’t it?
How many bidders are from out of the San Diego area? A group from Nashville will happily outbid any locals…
There won’t be lockout and there won’t be a team in Nashville.
You’re gonna be 0-for-2 soon. Find a new schtick after.
One, Joe Lacob. The others have ties to SD.
It’s only a record because other teams aren’t for sale. When Hal sells the Yanks to a Chinese investor, that will be a record.
And The Chinese investor moves them Bejing
They’re really throwing Waldron under the bus lol
Wrecked’um
Good Luck, @Gwynning!