San Diego Government Officials Attempting to Keep Padres From Relocating

Amid the ongoing sale process of the San Diego Padres, it seems that the city government is trying to keep the team from relocating. Any time a team is sold, there is always a chance that the new owner could look to move the franchise elsewhere.

But if it's up to the city of San Diego, the Padres will be staying put. Mayor Todd Gloria made that very clear in a recent memo in response to San Diego City Councilmember Raul Campillo.

“The city’s position, as it relates to keeping the team in San Diego, is grounded in strong, enforceable protections already in place under the Joint Use and Management Agreement (JUMA) and related agreements governing Petco Park. The JUMA requires that any new ownership group assume all existing Padres obligations. The JUMA explicitly prohibits relocation of the Padres outside of San Diego during the JUMA term, which extends at a minimum, through the conclusion of the 2031 Major League Baseball season,” Gloria wrote in his Feb. 10 response to Campillo. “This includes two five-year extension options exercisable by the Padres. These provisions collectively provide meaningful longterm stability for the franchise in San Diego.”

The sale of the Padres is the first time that the team has gone through this process since 2012. But it's different this time because the Padres are being reported to possibly break the record for the amount sold.

Some believe that the Padres will go for above $3 billion, which would be more than the amount that Steven Cohen purchased the New York Mets for in 2020. Cohen purchased the Mets for a then-record $2.4 billion.

But either way, it seems that the city is fighting to keep the Padres in town, and they are learning from the mistakes they made with the Chargers. The Chargers departed the city for Los Angeles at the beginning of 2017.

“History has shown that franchise relocations often begin not with formal announcements, but with uncertainty during ownership transitions,” Campillo wrote in a Feb. 2 memo to the mayor. “For that reason, I believe it is prudent for the city to be clear, early, and unified in our desire to keep the Padres here for the long term. That includes being willing to engage constructively with prospective ownership, the current ownership group, Major League Baseball, and other stakeholders to reinforce that San Diego is not only a viable market, but a committed one. We must learn from the mistakes that led to the Chargers football franchise leaving for Los Angeles and ensure that San Diego remains a place where Major League Baseball inspires families and our region’s youth.”

Over the last few years, the Padres have established themselves as one of the stronger franchises in baseball, and they've been heavy spenders on the market. San Diego has held an Opening Day payroll inside the top 15 of the sport each year since 2020.

The Padres have reached the playoffs in four of the previous six seasons, and they reached the National League Championship Series back in 2022. They've also broken their own attendance record every year for the last three years.

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