SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Padres’ new ownership walked into their introductory press conference with walk-up music, similar to what players hear when they come up to bat.
Kwanza Jones & José E. Feliciano walked in to a song called “We All In,” a dance track by Jones herself.
Right off the bat, Jones got Padres social media fired up with her opening statement, laying out what Padres fans have been wanting to hear: They are “all in.”
“We gonna win. We gonna win! We gonna win it all!” Jones said.
Feliciano echoed what his wife said.
“I'm a lifelong baseball fan,” Feliciano said. “I won't tell you which team I used to root for, but right now I root for the Padres, and we need to win the World Series. It's that simple. That's what we're going to do.”
Winning is something the Padres have done since 2019, posting a .524 winning percentage, but they haven’t been able to get over the hump. They came close, especially in 2022 and 2024, but still haven’t reached the ultimate goal.
Jones and Feliciano have already seen firsthand what their current team can do. After the sale was approved and announced on Friday, they watched their team sweep the Minnesota Twins. They even saw the Padres complete a dramatic turnaround from a 5-1 deficit to win 7-5 on Saturday night.
“This team doesn't quit,” Feliciano said in Spanish.
The new owners spoke to the team after the media had exited the locker room, Padres manager Craig Stammen confirmed during his pregame media scrum.
“Similar message to what we heard in the press conference,” Stammen explained. “They're super excited to be a part of the Padres family, and they want to do it together. I think that's a great message for our team. It's a message that we've been talking about all year-and they brought that message from you know the ownership group down to the players.”
Feliciano was asked during a media scrum afterward what his and his wife’s message would be to the team.
“I don't think the message is much different: we believe in them, and they’ve already proven they can beat any team,” Feliciano said in Spanish. “We have to keep doing that. There isn't much we need to tell them; they’re professionals and have handled this very well. But how do we win the majority of games from now until the end of the season? It is one step at a time. We have to win our games from now until the end of the season then we have to win the Wild Card, then the division, and then win it all, together.”
The Padres were bought for an MLB-record $3.9 billion for the franchise and 30% of Petco Park, with an estimated $1.7 billion coming from Jones and Feliciano personally.
They were asked how they plan to accomplish their goal of winning a championship while also managing payroll. They said it will be handled on a year-to-year basis, especially with the way things are changing in MLB, and they will ultimately evaluate where the team stands each season.
They did say they will be aggressive when needed.
“We have been blessed with a team in a city that is supporting us in a way that is allowing us to invest back in that team, in the stadium, in that city, and we're committed to doing that,”Feliciano said. “But, we're always going to do it kind of with keeping the long-term health of the team in mind.”
The Padres are currently 71-60, but a closer look shows how well they have been playing recently. They are 21-12 since the All-Star break and 11-4 over their last 15 games.
The performances of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Jackson Merrill have been a big part of that success, with the two combining for 23 home runs since returning from the break.
Aaron Brenner – The Sporting Tribune
Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) celebrates after a base hit during an MLB baseball game against the Twins, Friday August 21, 2026 in San Diego, California.
Tatis ranks first in MLB with 12 home runs, a 1.097 OPS and a .679 slugging percentage since the break. The Padres are heating up with the playoffs a little more than a month away. They also hold the final NL Wild Card spot with a two-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“The Padres, this organization, is nothing without the fans. And we're here for you,” Feliciano said. “We're here as part of this community, and we cannot promise that we're going to win. We hope that we're going to win, but we can promise that you're going to have our full dedication, engagement to try to make that happen.”
Of course, there couldn’t be a discussion about the future of the Padres without remembering late owner Peter Seidler. Jones and Feliciano said they will continue to carry on his legacy and ultimately try to fulfill his lasting goal of bringing a championship to San Diego.
“We understand that sports is much more than sports,” Feliciano said. “Sports is just much more than the business. Sports is an integral part of the community. And in this case the Padres are, I think, one of the pillars of this city and this community. And we're looking forward to engaging in many ways.”
“It's family,” Jones said. “It's one of the reasons we said we're family first, because the lens through which we look at this investment is very, very different. The commitment is very different. The outcomes that we know we want, we always want outsized outcomes. But here, we really are dedicated and committed to something beyond just a financial outcome.”