Feliciano On Deck

(This is the audio-only podcast version of Friday’s MartyTimeTV / Section 1904 joint venture. You can find and subscribe to this podcast on Apple and Spotify and right here on Substack by clicking the button below. To watch this episode on YouTube, click here) After dropping two games to the lowly Mets, the Padres return home for a homestand against the Twins & Pirates. Many are saying this is the biggest homestead of the season. Ok, nobody is actually saying that but the Padres are hosting two teams that are under .500 and do have a 40-24 records against such teams. Take care of business. One of the lingering questions surrounding the team is happening in AAA: Is it time to bring up phenom Ethan Salas? The Padres’ top prospect has made an impressive transition to El Paso, raising the question of whether a September call-up could give San Diego another weapon for the stretch run and perhaps a preview of what’s to come in 2027. But does this idea make any sense? Also, with the Padres set to introduce their new ownership group at Monday’s press conference, we welcomed The Athletic’s Chelsea correspondent Liam Twomey for some firsthand perspective on José E. Feliciano, Clearlake Capital and what San Diego might expect from its new ownership group. MLB owners have approved the $3.9 billion sale, with Feliciano and Kwanza Jones leading the new group and - as Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported - Feliciano’s partner at Clearlake, Behdad Eghbali, will be part of the new group. Liam gives us the backstory on Feliciano and Clearlake, and explains the complicated ownership dynamic at Chelsea - where Clearlake is the majority stakeholder and current Dodgers owners Mark Walter and Todd Boehly are part of the same ownership group. Walter has, uh, been in the news recently. We also get Liam’s perspective on how Chelsea’s ownership has been perceived in London, the tensions that have developed inside the club and what could ultimately happen with Walter amid reports that he and Boehly are discussing a sale of their Chelsea stakes to Clearlake. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dsmithshow.substack.com