SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Padres owner Peter Seidler underwent an unspecified medical procedure last month and "am now on the road to recovery,” he said in a statement posted Monday morning on the team's account on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Seidler is a two-time cancer survivor. The team said it wasn't able to provide further details at the family's request.
“I am grateful for the medical care I have received and the loving support of my family," Seidler said in the statement. "Although I can't be at the ballpark for our remaining games this season, I am watching them all, and I look forward to making some noise together again in 2024 and celebrating the 20th anniversary of our beautiful ballpark.”
Seidler is a third-generation member of the O'Malley family that used to own the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was part of a group that purchased the Padres in 2012 and bought out Ron Fowler’s majority stake in November 2020.
It was with Seidler's blessing that the Padres boosted their payroll to around $250 million, third-highest in the majors, after making a stirring run to the NL Championship Series last fall. They signed free agent shortstop Xander Bogaerts to a $280 million, 11-year deal, and gave Manny Machado a $350 million, 11-year deal even though the third baseman had said he intended to exercise the opt-out clause in his old deal at the end of this season.
Despite a superstar-laden lineup that also includes Juan Soto and Fernando Tatis Jr., the Padres have been a major disappointment after coming into the season with World Series aspirations. They are six games under .500 and six games back in the race for the NL's third wild card spot, with five games ahead of them. They have been under .500 since mid-May. It took them until Sunday to become the final team in the majors this year to win four straight games.
