Last week, it was reported that Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn might be getting involved in a group looking to buy the San Diego Padres.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, he is not the only famous San Diego athlete looking to do this; now golfer Phil Mickelson could be forming a group to buy his hometown team:

The second-leading money-winner in professional golf history has joined four of the grandchildren of former Dodgers owner Walter O’Malley and provided the out-of-town partnership with an iconic local investor.

Three years after resisting the ownership overtures of Jeff Moorad, Mickelson says he’s now ready to take a stake in San Diego’s major-league baseball franchise.

“I’ve had the opportunity to invest in other sports franchises, and I’ve turned it down in the past,” Mickelson said Monday morning. “This was a unique opportunity with families that had done this before and know how to do it right and want to get involved in the community.”

Mickelson and the O’Malley family could form a potent combination to bring the Padres back to contention. And Mickelson says he’d welcome Gwynn into his group:

“If we were able to get control, (Gwynn) would be the first person we’d want to get involved,” Mickelson said. “He’s such an icon with the team. Hopefully, it won’t be combative."

Current majority owner John Moores might be looking for more than the $530 million he had hoped to get three years ago, given the recent sale of the Dodgers for more than $2 billion.

Those are huge dollar amounts, almost too much to wrap your mind around. But they are happening, and likely will continue as baseball franchise values soar due primarily to big-money TV deals like the one the Dodgers have, and the Padres recently signed.

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