PEORIA, Ariz. — It probably won’t do much to quell concern that should already not have been a concern.
But Padres chairman John Seidler said emphatically on Monday, “The Padres aren’t moving from San Diego.”
His certainty was expressed despite the fact his family is exploring a sale of the team, which could be completed by the start of the 2026 season.
“We’ve had tremendous interest,” Seidler said. “Some parties have been reported in the press. Others have not. There are more parties interested than has been reported.”
Three men who have ownership stakes in sports teams have been reported as being among the potential buyers — Joe Lacob (Golden State Warriors), Dan Friedkin (AS Roma of Italian Serie A and Everton of the Premier League) and Jose E. Feliciano (Chelsea of the Premier League).
While Seidler declined to clarify whether any assurance the Padres were staying put would be part of terms of the sale, the idea of the team relocating has been described by many around baseball as ludicrous.
“A part of what they are selling is San Diego,” one person familiar with the sale process said, referring to the Padres having ranked in the top three in attendance four of the past five seasons.
Additionally, any owner who wanted to move the team would almost certainly have to pay a relocation fee of up to $1 billion and assume the cost of construction of a new ballpark in a new city on top of a sale price expected to top $2.5 billion.
While there are contingencies that could get the Padres out of their Petco Park lease before 2033, a team official said recently that has never been explored.
“If you look, a new buyer would be nuts to move the team out of San Diego,” Seidler said. “… San Diego is a great place for baseball. Baseball is the only major sport in San Diego right now. So the opportunity is in San Diego.”
Ty France #4 of the San Diego Padres participates in drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
France comes home
Ty France is back where it began.
The San Diego State alumnus, who was drafted by the Padres in 2015 and made his MLB debut in 2019, signed a minor-league deal and was in major league camp on Monday.
“Obviously, I’m familiar with the club,” said France, who makes his offseason home in Orange County. “It’s close to home. It felt like the right opportunity for me and my family.”
Where the 31-year-old France fits for the Padres is unclear, but he gives them depth potential at first base and designated hitter.
France, who will make $1.35 million if he is on the big-league roster, was the American League’s Gold Glove first baseman and hit .257 with a .681 OPS in 490 plate appearances for the Minnesota Twins and Toronto Blue Jays last season. He was 1-for-4 and drove in a run in the Blue Jays’ World Series loss to the Dodgers.
The career .262/.334/.400 hitter has been hit by 126 pitches since 2019, more than anyone in MLB in that span.
After being traded by the Padres at the deadline in 2020, France was an All-Star for the Mariners in 2022. He was traded to the Reds at the deadline in 2024 before signing with the Twins and getting traded at the deadline again last year.
An exception?
Padres manager Craig Stammen said last week that his general plan is for starting pitchers to throw to both of the team’s catchers this season.
That might not be the case for Nick Pivetta.
Pivetta finished sixth in National League Cy Young voting while working with Elías Díaz in all 31 of his regular-season starts last season. The only game Pivetta threw to a different catcher was the opener of the Wild Card Series against the Cubs, when Freddy Fermin was behind the plate as Pivetta allowed two runs on three hits and struck out nine over five innings.
“I haven’t talked to Craig about this, but I would assume, it’s kind of like Díaz last year, where Freddy would just be my one guy,” Pivetta said. “I feel that in my career, I am more comfortable with just one catcher. They get to know me, and I get to know them. I had a really good experience with Freddy in the playoff game last year. We didn’t win, I didn’t do quite as well as I wanted to, but he was able to handle that moment with me. … To be able to capitalize on that and grow the relationship and get to know him more on a personal level and in-game is really going to help.”
