Jeff MooradThe Padres announced Thursday that Jeff Moorad has stepped down as the CEO of the Padres, but will stay on as the vice chairman of the team and oversee the team's TV agreement with Fox Sports San Diego.

Knobler: Moorad didn't have the votes needed to buy the club

Padres president and COO Tom Garfinkel will assume the CEO duties on an interim basis.

Moorad, a former sports agent, withdrew his application to purchase the team earlier this month. In January, Major League Baseball owners delayed voting on the sale of the team to Moorad.

Moorad's group owns 49 percent of the team, while John Moores and his partners own 51 percent of the team.

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