John Angelos, the Orioles chairman and CEO, and Gov. Wes Moore used many words in carefully crafted statements Wednesday night after the Orioles opted not to trigger a 5-year lease extension at Camden Yards.
But in the end, there was very little substance.
Boiled down, the decision Wednesday — which was made a few hours before a midnight deadline — leaves the Orioles with no lease beyond this year, and a short window to work through a process that has been ongoing, without full resolution, for years.
Instead, the people leading negotiations issued all those words — words that may ring true in the future but for now fail to explain anything about where the process actually stands following the missed opportunity to commit to at least five more years.
Angelos and Moore emphasize a goal to “deliver a live, work, play theme that will bring residents, businesses, and tourists to downtown Baltimore year-round.”
In his statement, Moore said “we share the commitment of the Orioles organization to ensuring that the team is playing in a world-class facility at Camden Yards for decades to come and are excited to advance our public-private partnership.”
Outgoing Maryland Stadium Authority chairman Tom Kelso, a central figure in the negotiations, has also referenced the “live, work, play” environment they wish to create at the Camden Yards Sports Complex in previous comments.
Exact details, however, are still fuzzy. John Angelos promised transparency last month, but has yet to answer questions about the current state and future of the franchise.
The Orioles, Baltimore and the state of Maryland now must find a solution prior to the end of 2023, when the Major League Baseball franchise’s lease is set to expire. The possibilities are numerous, but the main options are as follows:
1. Use the impending expiration date as leverage to improve the terms on a new lease
2. Push off another impending deadline with a short-term agreement, which happened in 2021
3. The Orioles move to a new city.
Before heart palpitations set in as a result of the last option, the reality is that’s by far the least likely. Nashville, often cited as the logical destination — and referenced in court documents as a possibility by Louis Angelos, the brother of John — has sought an expansion team more heavily than a relocated club.
Plus, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and John Angelos have reiterated their stances that the Orioles will remain in Baltimore long into the future. “As long as I have this job, I think you can count on the fact the Orioles are going to be in Baltimore,” Manfred said in December at the winter meetings.
That leaves the Orioles in place to, more realistically, secure a deal before 2023.
When the original 30-year lease of Camden Yards was set to expire in 2021, the Orioles and the Maryland Stadium Authority pushed off an immediate decision by agreeing to a two-year extension. The deal retained the five-year extension option that the Orioles opted not to exercise Wednesday.
It’s possible, then, that the Orioles could seek another stop-gap deal prior to securing a longer-term agreement.
But the leverage the team has over the city and state to reach a deal is considerable, especially when considering the still-lingering fears of another midnight move like the Colts pulled in 1984.
When the Ravens reached an agreement over a new lease in early January, the terms were agreeable for the club. The Ravens won’t pay rent, although they will take on operations and maintenance at the stadium, which amounted to $11 million in 2022, according to state officials. There’s a chance the Ravens won’t need to spend as much to get that work completed.
And with the new lease, the Ravens received authorization to use their share of $1.2 billion that the state set aside for improvements to the Camden Yards complex. The Orioles’ share won’t be released until the long-term deal is in place.
The Orioles currently have their rent rooted to portions of ticket sales, advertising and other revenue, such as parking and concessions. Having seen the lease terms for the Ravens, the Orioles could aim for a similar setup in a long-term lease that keeps the team in Baltimore long into the future.
But for the time being, they’re just words hanging in the air until an agreement solidifies the Orioles’ commitment to Baltimore.
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