{"id":615812,"date":"2026-04-18T21:14:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-18T21:14:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/615812\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T21:14:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T21:14:18","slug":"chelsea-co-owner-closes-on-record-shattering-mlb-purchase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/615812\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea Co-Owner Closes on \u2018Record-Shattering\u2019 MLB Purchase"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6w\">Chelsea co-owner Jos\u00e9 E. Feliciano is reportedly nearing an agreement to purchase the San Diego Padres for a reported $3.9 million\u2014the most expensive sale of a Major League Baseball franchise in history. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6z\">Feliciano was part of the group that took over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/chelsea\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chelsea<\/a> from Roman Abramovich in 2022. The Puerto Rico-born businessman co-founded Clearlake Capital alongside <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/four-talking-points-chelsea-owner-surprise-interview-fan-protest\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Behdad Eghbali<\/a>, a global investment firm that led the consortium that bought Chelsea for $5.24 billion four years ago. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"72\">Clearlake Capital have since been the majority owners of Chelsea with a 61.85% share of the Premier League giants. Alongside minority owners Todd Boehly, Mark Walter and Hansj\u00f6rg Wyss, Clearlake founded the BlueCo ownership group that includes Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"75\">Now, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7203881\/2026\/04\/17\/san-diego-padres-sale-jose-e-feliciano\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Athletic<\/a> report Feliciano, alongside his wife Kwanza Jones, have a deal in place to become owners of the Padres for a fee that shatters the previous record for the purchase of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MLB<\/a> franchise previously set by billionaire Steve Cohen when he bought the New York Mets for $2.42 billion in 2020. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"78\">An official announcement is expected next week, but Padres players\u2014including superstar third-baseman Manny Machado\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=yYkcltZjMEY\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">revealed<\/a> he\u2019s already had some talks with the incoming ownership group and that he\u2019s \u201clooking forward to meeting them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Feliciano Joins Premier League Owners With U.S. Sports Ties<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kpgv9v2gns9m693337.jpg\" alt=\"Stan Kronke\" title=\"Stan Kronke\" width=\"932\" height=\"621\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"7q\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Arsenal owner Stan Kronke also owns the Los Angeles Rams NFL Franchise.  | Frederic J. Brown\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7u\">Feliciano now joins the growing list of Premier League owners that also have stakes on franchises across the biggest U.S. sports\u2019 leagues. In fact, Feliciano and Jones reportedly outbid three other groups to buy the Padres, including one led by Everton owner Dan Friedkin. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"7x\">An influx of U.S. influence has arrived in the Premier League over the past two decades in the form of ownership groups. Now, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/how-many-premier-league-clubs-are-owned-by-americans\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">11 teams<\/a> participating in the 2025\u201326 Premier League season are backed by  majority American ownership. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"80\">Of the Premier League\u2019s so called \u201cbig six,\u201d only <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/manchester-city\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Manchester City<\/a> and Tottenham Hotspur aren\u2019t led by U.S. owners. The Glazer family, who also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL franchise, started the  trend when they took over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/manchester-united\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Manchester United<\/a> in 2005. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"83\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/arsenal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Arsenal<\/a> owner Stan Kronke also owns MLB, NHL, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/mls\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MLS<\/a> and NHL franchises. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/soccer\/liverpool\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Liverpool<\/a>\u2019s Fenway Sports Group own the Boston Red Sox and NHL\u2019s Pittsburgh Penguins, while Leeds United are overseen by the San Francisco 49ers ownership group. Then there\u2019s New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, who has the controlling stake in Crystal Palace. Bournemouth and Fulham\u2019s majority owners are also in charge of the Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Jacksonville Jaguars respectively. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"86\">But even within BlueCo, Feliciano will become the second prominent figure to hold a stake in an MLB franchise, setting up an interesting dynamic with the face of Chelsea\u2019s ownership group: Boehly. <\/p>\n<p>Feliciano and Boehly on Different Sides of Bitter Rivalry<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/01kpgx5pgq98avgh7nra.jpg\" alt=\"A rivalry is brewing between Chelsea co-owners Jos\u00e9 Feliciano (third from left to right) and Todd Boehly (middle).\" title=\"A rivalry is brewing between Chelsea co-owners Jos\u00e9 Feliciano (third from left to right) and Todd Boehly (middle).\" width=\"874\" height=\"582\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"8l\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A rivalry is brewing between Chelsea co-owners Jos\u00e9 Feliciano (third from left to right) and Todd Boehly (middle). | Darren Walsh\/Chelsea FC\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8p\">Boehly has owned 20% of reigning back-to-back MLB champions Los Angeles Dodgers since 2012\u2014he also owns a minority stake in the Los Angeles Lakers. The Dodgers have won three World Series titles since the start of the decade, twice eliminating the Padres on the road to glory. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8s\">Feliciano will take over the Padres and immediately immerse himself into the most rapidly growing rivalry in all of MLB against Boehly\u2019s Dodgers. The two divisional foes have delivered some of the most thrilling playoff series in recent memory. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8v\">Furthermore, San Diego and Los Angeles boast two of the strongest rosters in the sport, headlined by some of the biggest stars in MLB. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-20\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-primary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"8y\">Feliciano and Boehly might be on the same side in their effort to guide Chelsea back to the top of the Premier League. But on the MLB diamond, the pair of Chelsea co-owners will be on opposite sides of a flammable rivalry.  <\/p>\n<p>READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, ANALYSIS AND INSIGHT FROM SI FC<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.minutemediacdn.com\/platform\/google_discover_icon.svg\" class=\"shrink-0\"\/>Add us as a preferred source on Google<a aria-label=\"Follow si.com on Google News\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=si.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" class=\"flex h-[30px] w-[30px] shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full bg-primary font-group-large text-sm font-medium text-white transition-colors hover:bg-secondary focus:bg-secondary md:w-auto md:gap-2.5 md:px-4 md:py-[5px]\">Follow<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chelsea co-owner Jos\u00e9 E. Feliciano is reportedly nearing an agreement to purchase the San Diego Padres for a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":615813,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-615812","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-mlb","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=615812"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/615812\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/615813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=615812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=615812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=615812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}