Former Padres First Baseman Has Message For Travis Kelce About Buying Team

San Diego Padres first baseman Eric Hosmer (30) is congratulated by right fielder Wil Myers (5) after hitting a home run during the third inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park on April 1, 2021. | Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

When the Seidler family announced Thursday it was exploring a possible sale of the San Diego Padres, the news brought some interested investors out of the woodwork.

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The process of vetting a potential owner is a long one. An expression of interest is a far cry from having the cash on hand to buy a professional sports franchise. For a day at least, Eric Hosmer's expression of interest provided a good laugh.

The former Padres first baseman, reacting to the news on Twitter/X, wrote: "@tkelce let me borrow some cash real quick my dude," preceded by the double-eye emoji.

👀 @tkelce let me borrow some cash real quick my dude https://t.co/Diy5kX9Rh2

— Eric Hosmer (@TheRealHos305) November 13, 2025

Hosmer's career earnings (before taxes) topped $174 million, according to Baseball Reference. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has an estimated net worth of $90 million, but might be able to borrow some money from his fiancé. (It's a small wonder Hosmer didn't just tag her instead.)

Forbes estimated the value of the Padres in March at $1.95 billion. Hosmer and Kelce might still have a ways to go.

Regardless of who the Padres' next owner is — assuming the Seidlers decide to sell — the process of transferring ownership of a major league franchise is never swift.

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Per the team's press release, the Padres have engaged BDT & MSD Partners, a trusted advisor to families and founder-led businesses, to guide the exploration of a sale. "The firm will oversee the process to ensure that it is conducted in a disciplined and professional manner," the team announced.

"The family has decided to begin a process of evaluating our future with the Padres, including a potential sale of the franchise," team chairman John Seidler said in a statement. "We will undertake this process with integrity and professionalism in a way that honors Peter’s legacy and love for the Padres and lays the foundation for the franchise’s long-term success.

"During the process and as we prepare for the 2026 season, the Padres will continue to focus on its players, employees, fans, and community while putting every resource into winning a World Series championship. We remain fully committed to this team, its fans, and the San Diego community.”

The direction of the team began trending up under the late Peter Seidler, with the franchise enjoying its greatest decade of success when Ron Fowler sold his majority share of the team to Seidler in 2020.

Now, the direction of the Padres looks less clear than it has in years. Will the Seidlers look to trim costs in advance of a potential sale? How will the team's murky media rights picture affect its value? Can a potential ownership group meet the Seidlers' asking price, or will they ultimately back down — like the Pohlad family did earlier this year when they could not get $1.7 billion for the Minnesota Twins?

A more important question for Hosmer on Thursday: can Kelce spare a dime?

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.