Monday gave Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones 50 minutes to make an impression on San Diego Padres fans during their introductory press conference. The couple purchased San Diego’s largest professional sports team for an MLB-record $3.9 billion, with family and community sitting at the center of their vision. That was also something that mattered to Peter Seidler. The new owners are cognizant of its importance, but they also know that winning matters, and who better than the Buss brothers to have on the team? After all, the success of the Los Angeles Lakers is not lost on anyone.

Since the death of popular owner Peter Seidler in late 2023, the club has lacked a permanent controlling owner. Last year, a public legal battle between Seidler’s widow, Sheel Seidler, and family trustees over controlling power caused the team to suffer. The budget was reduced, and roster planning was impacted. Then, last week, Feliciano and Jones finalized their purchase of the Padres at a record-setting $3.9 billion valuation. And now, with the Buss Brothers coming to San Diego, there might finally be a turnaround soon.

“We are honored to join Kwanza and Jose and have the opportunity to contribute ​to the future of a team that Jesse and I have ​loved since we were kids growing up in San Diego,” ⁠Reuters quoted the Padres’ new stakeholder, Joey Buss. “The Padres are on the cusp of something special, and through Buss Sports Capital, we ‌look ⁠forward to bringing our experience and perspective to the ownership group and doing our part to build on the strong foundation already in place.”

Siblings Jesse and Joey Buss are the brothers of Lakers acting governor Jeanie Buss. As of now, the Buss family holds a 17.8% stake in the Lakers’ ownership, which Jesse and Joey are reportedly pushing to sell to Josh Kushner and Bob Iger. However, Jeanie is resisting the move. She even filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court to stop her siblings from selling the family trust’s remaining shares.

The Buss family feud has been going on since 2017, when Jeanie fired her brother Jim from his basketball operations role after four losing seasons, successfully defeating an attempt by Jim and Johnny to vote her off the board. The family then sold a majority stake in the Lakers to Mark Walter for $10 billion in late 2025, which led Jeanie to fire her remaining siblings from their operational roles while she stayed on as governor.

The Buss brothers used proceeds from the Lakers sale to launch Buss Sports Capital last year, creating an investment mechanism to manage their capital. Walter later completed the sale of the Lakers to an investment group headed by Josh Kushner and Bob Iger.

And while the case goes on, the Buss brothers entered the Padres’ board. Reportedly, they incorporated Buss Sports Capital in 2025 to channel their investments to other franchises, and the Padres are part of this plan.

While the financial details of the Buss brothers’ investment in the Padres have not been revealed, ESPN reported that their stake is “in the neighborhood of 5%” in the MLB franchise. The Padres should ideally benefit from the move, though it also carries the risk of a future ownership feud.

Joey and Jesse will serve on the new ownership group’s advisory board, where they are expected to draw on their expertise in player development, payroll management, and roster construction as the Padres enter a new chapter in franchise history.

As is, the Padres have suffered significantly because of their Seidler family feud. The worst came in 2023 when, following a broadcast contract default by Diamond Sports Group and amid skyrocketing debt, they had to take out a $50 million loan just to cover player payroll. At the time, Juan Soto was with the Padres. However, unable to afford Soto’s projected $33 million arbitration salary, the Padres traded him to the New York Yankees.

With the addition of the new owners, the cash inflow should improve. Fans should expect a better roster next season. However, the same front office would continue to work for the team for now.

The Padres’ new ownership is betting on the same front office

Since the Padres entered a new era under Feliciano and Jones, the future of current president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has been in question. Under Preller, the Padres have reached the postseason four times in the last six years without winning a World Series title. Still, the new ownership is betting on the same front office.

“I don’t want to sound like the baseball executive here,” Feliciano said. “We’ll work with A.J.; we’ll work with [CEO Erik Greupner]. We have been blessed with a team in a city that is supporting us in a way that is allowing us to invest back in that team, in the stadium, in the city, and we’re committed to doing that.”

While the Padres remained one of MLB’s top-spending teams despite their ownership issues, Preller may have greater financial flexibility under the new ownership.

“Looking forward to having somebody who, like, this is theirs,” Preller said. “They’re all in. There’s no question about the future and what it all means. That’s always the best relationship — when you have clear, ‘Hey, this is the owner.’ And you can really start looking at the one-, three-, and five-year plans and start putting some things down on paper and start executing that. Definitely looking forward to that.”

Preller’s knowledge of the Padres runs deeper than anyone else’s. Hence, with Preller’s knowledge and the new ownership’s renewed objective, San Diego may be looking to build a new-look team by next season.