Padres Could Sell for $3.5 Billion, Ranked as Top 10 Most Valuable MLB Franchise

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the San Diego Padres right now is the upcoming expected sale of the team. This is the first time that the organization is going through a sale since 2012, when the Seidler/O'Malley families and Ron Fowler purchased the team for $800 million.

The Padres have seen some astronomical numbers being thrown out for the value of the organization. And now there seems to be another big update when it comes to how much the team could actually sell for.

While some insiders have believed that the Padres could sell for $3 billion, the team may even net more than this amount. According to Forbes, the Padres franchise could sell for $3.5 billion.

San Diego came in ranked as the No. 10 franchise, value wise, in the sport, a 59% change over last year.

"With all of that momentum, the Padres are widely expected to fetch more than $3 billion as the Seidler family looks to sell the club this year, perhaps even reaching $3.5 billion with the inclusion of their events business, which generates tens of millions of dollars in annual revenue apart from the team itself," Justin Teitelbaum and Brett Knight of Forbes wrote. "Regardless of where exactly the Padres’ price lands, it will almost certainly demolish the record for an MLB control sale, set by Steve Cohen’s $2.4 billion purchase of the New York Mets in 2020."

If the Padres were to be sold for this amount, it would completely shatter the previous record of $2.4 billion that Steve Cohen paid to buy the New York Mets in 2020. Multiple wealthy investors have been reported to be in discussions to purchase the organization, including Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob and two owners of English Premier League clubs, Dan Friedkin and José E. Feliciano.

While nobody knows who will win the bid, this is some serious money being thrown around for the team. Late owner Peter Seidler did an excellent job building the value of this club, and his desire to win was a big reason why.

Even with the Padres being a "small market" team, they still found ways to spend on the roster, while putting a competitive team on the field. Seidler didn't hold back on spending, and while it may have cost them the ability to keep some players, the Padres at least tried to win games.

Since 2020, the Padres have had an Opening Day payroll inside the top-15 of baseball every year. This has helped the club reach the playoffs in four of the past six years, even seeing them make the National League Championship Series in 2022.

This sale will help usher in a new era of Padres baseball, and the team will likely see an improvement because of it. San Diego seems headed toward the record books, at least for now, and it's only a matter of time before the winning bid is announced.