Pondering the Possibilities of New Baltimore Orioles Ownership

It’s no secret that the Baltimore Orioles ownership is bringing down the quality of the team.

And, it’s no secret that the Baltimore Orioles owner – Peter Angelos – is 91 years old.

With the recent sale of the New York Mets to billionaire Steve Cohen, questions about the Orioles getting new ownership loom. Under their former ownership, the Mets never won a title. The same goes for the Orioles under the Angelos ownership.

Jeff Barker with The Baltimore Sun shared that some potential buyers are lining up with the hopes to buy the Orioles from the aging Angelos. In his October 30 article, he wrote that some exciting names are linked to possible ownership groups that have the intent to own the Orioles.

One name is long-time Orioles brass, Larry Lucchino. The other is Cal Ripken Jr. who could partner with Lucchino. Consider what hometown hero Magic Johnson has done for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ripken could bring the same excitement to the Orioles if he were to become an owner someday.

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The question of who is actually running the Orioles from the owner’s suite is still unknown. MLB team owners have to approve control people for each team. The Orioles have been without an approved “control person” for at least 18 months. Reportedly, John Angelos has been running the team, but MLB club owners have yet to approve his position.

The 30-member MLB ownership group is tightly controlled. If the elder Angelos dies, MLB owners would have to approve passing the team to his children. According to Barker’s article, the Angelos children could benefit financially from selling the team. He wrote: “With Angelos, 91, in continued poor health, there is speculation that tax laws could create a favorable sale opportunity for his heirs after his death.”

Fans would be happy to have the team pass to more generous hands. Other than a few costly contracts, the Orioles ownership has had a tight grip on the purse strings. The Angelos heirs are likely to follow in their father’s footsteps and continue to bring a losing team to the diamond.

While it could be exciting to see a former player like Ripken take ownership of the team, not every team owned by a former player has had success. Take the Miami Marlins for example. While they had a successful 2020, Derek Jeter hasn’t put a team on the field that makes fans come to the stadium. He only has a small stake in the Marlins, and he gutted the team in 2017, trading away players like Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, and Dee Gordon.