José E. Feliciano is a co-owner of English Premier League club Chelsea. Monica Schipper / Getty Images for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
April 17, 2026 10:51 am EDT
A group led by Chelsea Football Club co-owner José E. Feliciano and his wife Kwanza Jones is closing in on a deal to purchase the San Diego Padres for what will be a record-shattering $3.9 billion, multiple people with knowledge of the deal told The Athletic.
The expected agreement, which will require approval by 75 percent of the league’s owners, easily surpasses the $2.42 billion Steve Cohen paid for the New York Mets in 2020. While the final net amount will be subject to the Padres’ roughly $300 million in debt and other terms, the expected price could reverberate throughout the sport as it approaches a pivotal labor fight.
Feliciano, 53, is the co-founder and managing partner of Clearlake Capital, a private equity firm based in Santa Monica, Calif. In 2022, Clearlake and Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly led a consortium that purchased Chelsea in a $5.24 billion deal.
Feliciano, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $3.9 billion, and Jones beat out three other finalists for the Padres: Dan Friedkin, the owner of EPL club Everton; Tom Gores, the owner of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons; and Joe Lacob, the owner of the Golden State Warriors.
The Wall Street Journal first reported Feliciano and Jones were nearing a deal to buy the Padres.
Mike Vorkunov contributed to this report, which will be updated.
Apr 17, 2026
Connections: Sports Edition
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today’s puzzle