"Playing for Dodgers while owning the Padres" - Fans slam San Diego ownership as ace Michael King swirling in trade talks

It has been a tumultuous offseason for the San Diego Padres and its fans. The wife of late owner Peter Seidler, Sheel, has sued her in-laws for control of the baseball club. The team has already lost All-Star Jurickson Profar to the Atlanta Braves, with the Curacaoan star revealing that the ownership battle affected his decision to move on from the squad.

Similarly, NPB phenom Roki Sasaki revealed in his first press conference as a Los Angeles Dodger that the deciding factor in choosing the defending champions was the "stability in its front office." It was revealed, however, that the Padres were originally among the frontrunners for his signature. Now, there are rumblings that starter Michael King has been made available for trade by the Friars.

Padres Have Discussed Michael King In Trade Talks byu/thediesel26 inbaseball

The news came out of the blue as the hurler had a productive campaign for the Padres. Michael King posted a 13-9 record with a 2.95 ERA across 173.2 innings that merited an MLB All-Second Team selection.

Fans on social media site Reddit were irate about the rumor of King leaving San Diego.

"They are playing for the Dodgers while owning the Padres. Comical," a Redditor wrote.

"The offseason from hell marches on," another added.

"We are down bad fam," one fan wrote.

"Jf* yeah sure why not. Trade everyone. Ownership hellbent on destroying any goodwill Peter Seidler built up with the fans," one fan exclaimed

"wt*? The ownership fracas has got to be worse than is publicly known," a fan claimed.

"I remember when I had hope. That was nice," a fan reminisced.

With the current ownership situation being brought up as an issue with players signing with San Diego, it would be interesting to see how things pan out for the ball club.

San Diego Padres' spotty ownership history

Amongst the many names that have owned the San Diego Padres, some have been the center of scrutiny from the general public.

The team's first owner was Conrad Arnholt Smith, a banker and businessman who owned the team from 1969 to 1974. Smith's United States National Bank would fail in 1973, the biggest in history, due to a high level of bad loans by companies under his control. He would be convicted of embezzlement in 1979, including his sale of the Friars.

The team's next owner would be the now-infamous Ray Kroc. The savvy businessman was known for popularizing McDonald's. Kroc became infamous when it was revealed that he bought the fast-food chain from its original owners and prevented the McDonald's brothers from using it subsequently. The business magnate owned the team from 1974 until his death in 1984.

Lastly, another controversial figure who owned the team was Peter Seidler. The late owner wasn't actually infamous due to his deeds but due to his lineage. Seidler was the grandson of long-time Los Angeles Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley.

With his brothers now running the club, the flames are still being fanned between the fanbases with claims of "the Dodgers owns the Padres" both on and off the field.