Ahead of what could become a record-setting sale, the founder of a popular apparel brand and a Hall of Fame quarterback are leading one of five groups bidding to purchase the San Diego Padres, multiple people briefed on the process told The Athletic.
Joe Kudla, the owner and CEO of Carlsbad, Calif.-based Vuori, has partnered with Drew Brees, who began his decorated NFL career with the San Diego Chargers, in pursuit of the Padres, according to industry sources who were granted anonymity to speak freely about the franchise’s sale process. The due date for the first round of offers was Wednesday, the sources said. Other remaining suitors include Golden State Warriors owner Joe Lacob and English Premier League club owner José E. Feliciano, two prospective buyers whose interest in the Padres was previously reported.
Kudla, a University of San Diego alum, founded Vuori in 2015. The rapidly growing athleisure brand reached a $5.5 billion valuation more than a year ago and branched into major professional sports last summer, announcing endorsement deals with the likes of British tennis star Jack Draper and Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
In a 2025 interview, Kudla described Brees as a friend and workout partner. Brees, who regularly attends Padres games and participates in marketing for Vuori, has invested in professional flag football, pickleball and other athletic ventures. Earlier this month, he became a first-ballot electee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
With MLB bracing for a widely expected lockout next offseason, the Padres’ sale process is drawing heightened attention. Sportico’s latest valuations appraised the franchise at $2.31 billion, and league sources have said team chairman John Seidler and the Seidler family are seeking a price closer to $3 billion. The MLB record for a sale was set in 2020, when Steve Cohen paid $2.42 billion to buy the New York Mets. In 2012, a group led by Peter Seidler and Ron Fowler bought the Padres for $800 million.
A league source described each of the five bids for the Padres as “strong.” Multiple groups are expected to move on the next round of bidding, with an agreement to buy the team possible around Opening Day.
The Padres declined comment. Kudla, Brees, Feliciano, a representative for Lacob, and BDT & MSD Partners, the investment bank overseeing the Padres’ sale process, did not immediately reply to messages seeking comment. An email sent to the Friedkin Group, the company owned by Dan Friedkin, another EPL club owner whose interest in the Padres was previously reported, was not immediately returned.
“We’ve had tremendous interest,” John Seidler said last week. “Some parties have been reported in the press. Others have not, and more parties are interested than has been reported. … In the next few months, the process will come to a logical conclusion.”
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno told reporters last week he was not shopping his franchise. He added: “But there’s just a lot of people wanting to buy a baseball team right now.”
Lacob, who has owned the Warriors since 2010, has previously pursued MLB ownership, including attempts to buy into the Angels, Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers. A consortium led by Feliciano’s Santa Monica, Calif.-based private equity firm and Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly acquired Chelsea Football Club for $5.3 billion in 2022.
The Padres were put on the market in November, two years after Peter Seidler’s death and amid a legal battle among the late owner’s family members. Earlier this month, court documents revealed that Seidler’s widow and two of his brothers had resolved a fight over control of the franchise, removing a potential obstacle to a sale.