Eric Kutsenda has been named control person of the Padres, reports Evan Drellich of The Athletic. In a second post, Drellich adds that Kutsenda has an interim label in his title. This position was previously held by owner Peter Seidler, who recently passed away.
MLB clubs are often owned by multiple people, families or sometimes corporations, but the league recognizes one person per team as a control person. This individual represents the team in league matters and is a point of contact when the league needs to engage with the club. This person is often the principal owner but this unique situation may be temporary.
Drellich adds that Seidler’s stake in the team is currently in a trust. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported earlier this week that Seidler intended for the club to remain in his family for generations after he died and that the club intends to proceed with that plan. Seidler is survived by his wife and three children, so it’s possible that one of them will be named control person after succession plans are sorted out. That’s speculative but the interim tag suggests Kutsenda may just be a placeholder.
Seidler Equity Partners was co-founded by Seidler and Kutsenda, according to their respective bios on the SEP website.
