O’Malley family contemplates buying Padres

After failing in a bid to buy back the Dodgers, the team the O’Malley name was synonymous with for nearly half a century, Peter O’Malley and his family are contemplating a bid to buy the San Diego Padres.

“We are thinking about it,” O’Malley told The Times on Tuesday.

O’Malley declined to discuss what his role would be should his family succeed in buying the Padres. But it appears unlikely that he would be a full-time chief executive, as he would have been had the Dodgers bid been successful.

His nephew, Tom Seidler, and his son, Kevin O’Malley, lead a family partnership that owns the Visalia Rawhide of the Class-A California League. As president of the club, Seidler has revitalized the Rawhide, working with the city on ballpark renovations and posting three consecutive years of record attendance.

Seidler grew up at Dodger Stadium, as the grandson of Walter O’Malley, who moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. In his first job, at 16, Seidler was a parking lot attendant at Dodger Stadium.

“During the Dodger pursuit, the next generation of family got quite engaged about the opportunity,” Peter O’Malley said. “It brought back all positive memories.

“The Padres have only been on the market a number of days. I have not talked to [Padres owner] John Moores. We’re considering it.”

Of his failed bid for the Dodgers, O’Malley said, “Our family gave the Dodger pursuit everything we had. We were serious suitors. It didn’t happen. I support the new owners, and I want them to do well.”

Guggenheim Baseball Management agreed to buy the Dodgers for $2.15 billion, a record price for a sports franchise, in a deal that is scheduled to close by April 30.

bill.shaikin@latimes.com