Hall of Famer Drew Brees partners with Vouri CEO for a blockbuster bid as the Padres sale negotiations intensify.
The San Diego Padres have five groups bidding for the franchise, and according to The Athletic’s Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal, one of the groups is led by a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback and the founder of a popular apparel brand.
Former San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is partnering with Joe Kudla, the owner and CEO of California-based Vouri, in a bid to buy the Padres. The news comes as the first round of offers was due on Wednesday. Other bids came from Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob and the owner of Chelsea F.C., an English Premier League club, Jose E. Feliciano.
While Brees’ roots in San Diego stem from his selection by the Chargers in the 2001 draft, his partner, Kudla, also has a history in the city after attending the University of San Diego. According to an interview by Kudla last year, the pair are workout partners and friends who regularly attend Padres games. After being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame earlier this month, Brees already has his eyes set on his next chapter.
The Padres sale is heating up despite the looming threat of an MLB lockout next season. If the Seidler family is to sell the club, it would be for a steep price, as the team was valued at $2.31 billion by Sportico’s latest valuations. The asking price, however, is closer to the $3 billion mark according to league sources.
A sale closer to their asking price would be an MLB record, with the current record being Steve Cohen’s purchase of the New York Mets in 2020. Since buying the Mets, Cohen has established himself as a fan favorite owner for his insistence on fielding a winning team.
According to Lin and Rosenthal, multiple groups are expected to move on after the first round of bids, with multiple being considered strong. A sale could even come around Opening Day, which is on Thursday, March 26.
After a legal battle regarding control of the franchise following Peter Seidler’s death, the Padres became available for sale back in November, around two years after Peter’s death. Peter was part of a group in 2012 to buy the Padres for $800 million.
The possible sale has been a background piece of the club’s offseason, giving general manager A.J. Preller little financial flexibility to improve the roster despite back-to-back seasons with at least 90 wins. Whichever group ends up with the winning bid, Padres fans will be hoping they get a similar investment into the roster like the Mets have seen.