Despite ongoing legal drama involving the sons and wife of Orioles principal owner Peter Angelos, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday he believes the team will continue to reside in Baltimore.
“As long as I have this job, I think you can count on the Orioles being in Baltimore,” Manfred said during the winter meetings press conference.
The Orioles’ lease at Camden Yards, their home for the past 31 seasons, will expire on December 31, 2023, although the team can exercise a one-time option for a five-year extension until February 1. a lawsuit in June against his brother, Orioles GM John Angelos, and his mother, Georgia Angeli, Louis Angelos suggested that his brother was considering moving the club, with Nashville being mentioned as a possible destination. John Angelos has since reiterated his stance that the Orioles will remain in Baltimore “as long as Fort McHenry watches over the inner harbor,” and his mother has since filed a lawsuit against Louis.
Manfred said he met both John and Georgia in person Angelos to discuss the legal situation.
“I’m comfortable with the positions they’ve taken,” Manfred said. “It is absolutely clear that under the rules of baseball, John Angelos is the controlling person and has the vote for the club. I’m sorry there is litigation involved. It brings all kinds of negative attention to the game. That said, I’m very comfortable with the way the clubhouse is run and our relationship with the clubhouse and Major League Baseball’s relationship with the clubhouse.”
Agent Scott Boras: Orioles ‘birds of prey’
For the first time in years, Scott Boras’ annual winter meetings featured talk of the Orioles, with the sport’s top agent saying the team was active early in free agency.
“Baltimore, they’re birds of prey,” Boras said. “They grew up. They’re guys that really have an amazing young core.
“There’s a number of young players that they’re stocked with and I think they’re trying to supplement that young core because they really feel like they’re ready to be competitive.”
That largely aligns with what executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias said Monday, noting that the club targeting pitchers who could pitch at the top of his rotation and position players who can complement his group of young hitters. Lefty Carlos Rodón, the top remaining free agent starter, is a Boras client, as are shortstops Carlos Correa and Xander Bogaerts, though both are less likely to line up with Elias. stated desire to “not block” growing prospects. Still, he said he plans to increase Baltimore’s payroll and try to add significant players, though the level at which the Orioles will do either is unclear.
“They were very aggressive,” Boras said. “Mike was in constant contact. The Orioles are in a different place, and Mike made us all very aware of that.”
So far, the Orioles’ only free agent signing has been right Kyle Gibson, whose $10 million deal is the largest guaranteed salary Elias has made in his four-plus years in Baltimore. The club also made a handful of depth moves, particularly for left-handed hitters who play defensive corner positions. After claimed first baseman Lewin Díaz and signed outfielder Franchy Cordero in a minor league deal before the winter meetings, the Orioles announced Tuesday that they also brought in outfielder Nomar Mazara to a minor league deal.
Mazara, 27, is hitting .256/.314/.414 in a seven-year career spent mostly with the Texas Rangers. He hit .264 with a .668 OPS in 55 games for the San Diego Padres in 2022.
()
