Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says Baltimore Orioles lease deal is 'imminent'
BALTIMORE — Orioles fans remain on edge as the December 31 deadline approaches for the team to sign a new lease agreement to remain at Camden Yards.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says a deal is "imminent." His executive team has been working around the clock to get this deal done.
He made it clear on Wednesday that he is working on a long-term deal. He says a short-term deal has been off the table for nine months.
"We are going to keep the Orioles here for a long time," Moore said.
Moore spoke to reporters after a meeting of the state's Board of Public Works, which would need to approve a final deal.
Last week, the governor put the breaks on a new lease after Senate President Bill Ferguson raised concerns about some of the conditions surrounding the lease.
There are three criteria Moore says are non-negotiable for him when getting this Orioles' deal done - the best deal for taxpayers, creating winners on and off the field and keeping the team in Baltimore.
"We've been working all throughout the weekend and the week with all the partners, and we feel very confident that a deal is imminent," said Moore, who chairs the three-member board.
The board's last scheduled meeting this year was on Wednesday, though Moore emphasized that it was the last regularly scheduled meeting, suggesting another one could be called to approve a new lease before the end of the year.
"We have to do, and we're going to do, the best deal for the taxpayers," Moore said. "We're going to make sure that this is a long-term deal. We're not doing a one-year, we're not doing a short-term deal. We are going to make sure that we are being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, and we have to make sure we're creating winners, not just on the field but also winners off the field."
Maryland Treasurer Dereck Davis, a board member who expressed concerns about "foot-dragging" in the negotiations in July, said he was confident an agreement will be reached before the end of the year.
"I believe that we'll have a resolution real soon," Davis said Wednesday.
The Orioles' lease at Camden Yards expires at the end of the year. In September, the team dramatically announced a new 30-year deal to stay at the ballpark — a message to that effect appeared on the scoreboard in the middle of a game the night the team clinched the AL East. The next day, the governor's office released details of a memorandum of understanding involving Moore, the team and the Maryland Stadium Authority.
The September agreement included a 99-year development rights agreement for areas surrounding the ballpark, including the warehouse and Camden Station. That was a sticking point for Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat, whose district includes the stadium.
"Fundamentally, I believe that the long-term lease for the use of the ballpark should not be conditioned on whether or not a private owner receives a 99-year ground lease to develop land owned by Maryland taxpayers," Ferguson said in a statement Friday. "This is more relevant today, as recent news has heightened uncertainties about the future ownership of the team."
Bloomberg reported last week, citing unidentified sources, that Carlyle Group Inc. co-founder David Rubenstein has been in talks to acquire the Orioles.
Last year, the state increased bond authorization for M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, and Camden Yards. The measure allowed borrowing of up to $600 million for each stadium.