Feliciano emerges as bidder for Padres as Clearlake signals continued push into sports investments

LOS ANGELES— Jose E. Feliciano, a co-founder of Clearlake Capital Group and part-owner of Chelsea F.C., has emerged as one of the bidders to purchase the San Diego Padres, further underscoring the growing interest from private equity in major professional sports franchises.

Speaking at the Sports Business Journal’s CAA World Congress of Sports, Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali acknowledged reports linking Feliciano to the Padres sale process while stopping short of confirming details.

“We have and I think we will continue to be investors,” Eghbali said. “I've read some of the same headlines that Jose is one of the bidders in the Padres process, but we'll leave that to the process.”

Feliciano and Eghbali are best known in sports circles for their role in Clearlake’s ownership stake in Chelsea, one of the most prominent clubs in global soccer. Their involvement in the Padres bidding process reflects a broader trend of institutional investors targeting North American sports franchises, particularly in Major League Baseball, where franchise valuations have surged in recent years.

Eghbali emphasized that sports remain a long-term strategic priority for Clearlake, citing the enduring value of live events and premium content in an evolving media landscape.

“Sports is a category where we think there's a lot of growth,” Eghbali said. “It's a category where live events — sports — we think will be a mainstay investment category for investors in the decades to come.”

The Padres are believed to be exploring a potential ownership transition following the death of longtime owner Peter Seidler in 2023. The franchise has since remained under the stewardship of the Seidler family, though industry speculation has persisted about a possible sale or restructuring of ownership.

San Diego represents an attractive asset for prospective buyers, combining a strong local fan base, a modern ballpark in Petco Park and a competitive roster that has increased the team’s national profile in recent seasons.

For Feliciano, a potential acquisition would mark a significant expansion of his sports portfolio beyond European soccer and into Major League Baseball, aligning with Clearlake’s broader investment thesis around sports as a durable and growing asset class.

While no timeline for a potential Padres sale has been publicly confirmed, interest from high-profile bidders like Feliciano signals that any transaction would likely command a multibillion-dollar valuation and draw significant attention across the sports and investment worlds.