José E. Feliciano and wife Kwanza Jones introduced themselves in a press conference at Petco Park last week after becoming the new controlling owners of the San Diego Padres.
The couple purchased the franchise for $3.9 billion, which came less than three years after beloved owner Peter Seidler passed away at the age of 63.
Feliciano lives in Los Angeles but grew up a New York Yankees fan and said he has no problem rooting against the Dodgers, via Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times.
“The good thing is,” he told me after an introductory news conference Monday, “rooting against the Dodgers comes naturally to me.”
Feliciano’s acquisition of the Padres comes at a time in which Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter is facing a federal probe into his business empire, adding an intriguing layer to the already intense rivalry between the two National League West rivals.
Feliciano downplayed the notion that he bought the Padres amid the uncertainty surrounding Walter and to some extent the Dodgers, and said it simply made sense on a personal level.
“You’ve got to look at these things on a generational, multi-decade basis, honestly,” he told me. “It’s like trying to time a great investment in the market. You can’t.
“What I can tell you is that this is the good time — the best time — for us. I think it also coincides with Peter’s legacy: The team is in a great place, the city is in a great place.”
Feliciano wants to build on the progress Seidler achieved as Padres owner and made it clear that his goal is to win a World Series.
The Padres entered play Wednesday with 21 wins in their last 30 games to crawl back into the NL Wild Card picture. The Dodgers still hold a commanding lead over them in the NL West standings, but the two teams could potentially face each other in the playoffs for the fourth time in the last seven seasons.
José E. Feliciano’s connection to Mark Walter
Feliciano, one of the founders of Clearlake Capital, also owns Chelsea Football Club. Walter holds a minority stake in the soccer team, but recent reports suggest he is looking to sell it.
Walter has already sold his majority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers but doesn’t plan to give up ownership of the Dodgers.
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