The Padres’ deadline plans may hinge on something far bigger than a trade chip or a hot stretch: the still-pending approval of their $3.9 billion sale.
That uncertainty has left president of baseball operations A.J. Preller in a holding pattern, even as outside voices think the incoming ownership group could be ready to back him.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal believes José E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones will give Preller the financial room to make a move at the MLB trade deadline.
But until Major League Baseball formally approves the record-setting sale, nothing is fully in motion.
Manny Machado said Monday that the delay has already become a talking point inside the clubhouse.
“Yeah, what’s going on with that?” Padres third baseman Manny Machado told reporters on Monday.
“I thought it would’ve been done by now. I’ve spoken to Feliciano a little bit, so I know he’s eager to get on with it and help the city and help this team win.
I don’t know what’s taking so long. But it’s been a weird year for everyone in this clubhouse.”
The sale from the Seidler family to Feliciano and Jones was announced in early May, and it would set the mark for the highest valuation ever for an MLB team. Even so, it still needs approval from at least 22 of MLB’s other 29 owners. Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported that some believed the vote could come in June, but the current expectation among Padres officials is reportedly late July.
That timing matters. Lin wrote that the delay “could complicate things related to San Diego's deadline planning,” and added that John Seidler remains the club chairman for now. If the sale is not finalized before Aug. 3, some around the team believe there may not be much flexibility to add payroll.
That could shape how aggressive the Padres can be at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. And if the season keeps sliding, the club may not be eager to push chips in anyway.
San Diego enters the final series before the All-Star break at 46-47 after an eight-game losing streak that included five losses to the Dodgers. The Padres are 5.5 games out of the final wild-card spot, with five teams ahead of them.
The frustration is obvious, but the players are still trying to keep the group pointed forward. Jackson Merrill addressed the skid recently and said:
"Yeah, I mean we're frustrated too. Can't take away from your frustration, but I promise we are doing all we can here to get these wins," center fielder Jackson Merrill said recently regarding the Padres' slide.
"Like I said, just have faith in us. It's baseball; you never know when s--- can go the other way, so we could heat up here really soon."
In Other News...
Padres May Be Facing Another Brutal Big Contract Decision
Xander Bogaerts has become the latest reminder of how quickly a long-term deal can turn from a franchise anchor into a payroll puzzle. Since arriving in San Diego in 2023, the veteran infielder has not matched the level the Padres expected when they committed to his 11-year, $280 million contract, and his recent production has only added to the uncertainty around one of the clubs biggest investments.
For a team that has already shown a willingness to move high-profile names to keep competing while managing costs, the idea of revisiting another massive contract is hardly trivial. Any path forward would be complicated, since a trade would almost certainly require San Diego to take on a hefty share of the money still owed, leaving the Padres to weigh flexibility against the risk of giving up on a player they once viewed as a core piece. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Deadline Problem Is Bigger Than One Move Can Fix
The Padres keep running into the same issue as the deadline approaches: the roster has too many holes for a single splash to cover. The offense has been inconsistent, the rotation still needs help, and the bullpen has been asked to carry too much of the load, which is not a great place to be when the schedule tightens and every contender starts shopping for the same upgrades.
What makes the situation trickier is the shape of the market. San Diego needs multiple answers, but the farm system is thinner after recent trades, so the front office has fewer easy ways to chase them. There is at least some hope that ownership will be willing to push payroll higher, but even with that kind of backing, the Padres are staring at a deadline where the hardest part may simply be finding enough available help to make a real dent. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Fans Know This AJ Preller Habit Never Really Goes Away
Since AJ Preller arrived in August 2014, the Padres have lived with a front office philosophy that treats first-round draft capital as a currency to be spent when the right deal comes along. The list of players moved in those trades stretches across different eras of the roster build, from prospects who barely got their footing in San Diego to others who were still working their way through the minors when they were packaged elsewhere. Some of those moves helped land established big leaguers in San Diego, while others were smaller swaps that still reflected the same willingness to keep turning over premium talent.
What makes the pattern stand out is how often it has repeated, and how little it seems to depend on the stage of the franchise at the moment. Whether the Padres were chasing a star, reshaping the bullpen, or trying to patch a roster need, Preller has never seemed especially attached to the idea of holding first-round picks just for the sake of it. For fans, the familiar question is not whether he will move another one, but which prospect becomes the next name to disappear from the organizational ledger. [Read more 🡒]