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Inside The Padres

Padres Owner Says Dodgers Are 'Terrible'

These comments should only fuel the rivalry between the Padres and Dodgers even more.
Jun 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) runs the bases after hitting a walkoff home run as San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) watches at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jun 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith (16) runs the bases after hitting a walkoff home run as San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) watches at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Over the last six years, the San Diego Padres have become one of the premier destination spots around baseball. San Diego has yet to win a World Series, but the team has invested heavily in the roster, giving them a chance to win every season.

Much like the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, the Padres have gone after star players fairly aggressively. Combining this with postseason matchups with Los Angeles, the two sides have created quite a rivalry in recent times.

Things got taken to a new level when Padres minority owner, Harp Helú, made some comments about the Dodgers. Helú, whose 15% stake in the second-largest share of any minority owner around the organization, addressed the two teams during the Mexico City Series this weekend.

“The Padres have a very good team, and maybe they can [win] the World Series,” he said to the San Diego Union-Tribune. “The Dodgers are terrible.”

These comments should surely get the two teams fired up when they play each other this season, especially with it coming from an owner of the Padres. Helú's words about the Dodgers seem to be all in good fun, but the two sides already don't like one another.

Even with the sale of the Padres, Helú is expected to remain part of the ownership group after speaking with new owner José E. Feliciano. Feliciano and his wife purchased the Padres for a record $3.9 billion recently, the largest sale in history for a baseball team.

This number shattered the previous record of $2.4 billion, when Steve Cohen bought the New York Mets in 2020. Most people didn't expect the sale to go over $3.5 billion, let alone where it ended up, but in the end, Feliciano made an offer that the Seidler family couldn't turn down.

Helú made it known that he wanted to remain with the team, especially because of the relationship and ties to baseball in Mexico.

“We are going to conserve what we bought,” Helú said. “We won’t sell our spot. It’s very important because of the relationship with San Diego and Diablos Rojos is very important for baseball in Mexico.”

The Padres and Dodgers are currently battling for first place in the National League West. The first matchup between the two teams will be May 18-20 in San Diego.

Mark your calendars.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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