Orioles to stay at Camden Yards long-term after lease extension approved

BALTIMORE - After ups and downs and intense negotiations in recent days, both the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Board of Public Works, the state's spending board, have finally approved a new long-term lease agreement that keeps the Orioles at Camden Yards.

"Baltimore, the deal is done," Gov. Wes Moore said.

Public officials did not outline details, but the general terms call for the Orioles to stay at Camden Yards for at least the next 15 years but likely longer. 

The length of the term hinges on whether the O's get the necessary approvals to redevelop land around the ballpark. It is an issue they must resolve by the end of 2027 and could ultimately put the team in charge of maintenance of the state-run facility.

If the redevelopment proposals go through, the lease would last for 30 years, and the team would have the option to extend it beyond that. You can read more here.

"This is a very large and complex deal. We're talking about a deal that is a multi-decade deal keeping one of the most storied franchises in all of sports in the city of Baltimore," Moore said. "We were just very consistent. …We knew this was not going to be something that was going to be bulldozed through. You had to work in partnership to get this done, and that is what our team committed to."

The lease also has a clause preventing team relocation to allay fears of a repeat of the Colts' infamous Mayflower move in 1984.    

Nearby Washington, D.C. is currently grappling with the issue after the Caps and Wizards announced a move to Virginia last week. 

"Fifteen years might get here quicker than we think it will, and I hope that we can explore the power of the state of Maryland to take and run the team as a public utility before we get to that," said Andy Ellis, an O's fan who attended the Maryland Stadium Authority's meeting Monday. "The next time we have to do the deal, it's going to be way worse than this. It's going to cost Maryland taxpayers way more money."

Self-described taxpayer advocate Bill Marker echoed those comments after the Stadium Authority voted to approve the deal. 

"For the moment, without the team threatening to leave, that is their key extortion device and after today, they won't have that device for a few years, so I'm glad for that to happen," he said. 

The negotiations for the Orioles' deal were at times rocky, with an announcement made at Camden Yards in September for what was originally thought to be a 30-year agreement that turned out to be non-binding memorandum of understanding.

There were disagreements last week among top state lawmakers that the potential lease term was too short. 

Comptroller Brooke Lierman, a member of the state's spending board, ultimately voted for the agreement.

Lierman said at a press conference before her vote, "I'm here not to be a rubber stamp for John Angelos or Governor Moore but to bring my own keen sense of what is good for our state, for our taxpayers and my adopted hometown of Baltimore."

An earlier lawsuit within the Angelos family, since settled, contained an allegation the team could move to Nashville.

That is all in the past with the team now locked into Camden Yards.

"John Angelos, our chair and managing partner, has expressed time and time again the club's commitment to downtown Baltimore and our commitment to utilize this iconic location to encourage and drive the next Baltimore renaissance," said the Orioles' Chief Operating Officer Greg Bader. "There's nowhere the Orioles would rather play championship baseball than here at Camden Yards."

Governor Moore noted if the team decides to sell, the terms of the agreement would apply to any new owners.

The new lease also unlocks up to $600 million in bonds that will fund upgrades to Camden Yards. It is similar to an agreement with the Baltimore Ravens.

Moore said the lease agreement is only the start of the transformation in Baltimore.

A reimagined Harborplace is in the works, plus investments in law enforcement, Baltimore's HBCUs and around Camden Yards.

"This deal is about Baltimore," Moore said. "This will be Maryland's decade, but in order for that to happen, it has to be Baltimore's time. Now is the time to praise Baltimore's gifts. Gone are the days where we blame Baltimore for our problems. Now is the time to see Baltimore as a solution."

The Orioles are on the rise, winning 100+ games last season for the first time since 1980, and winning the American League East for the first time since 2014.

They have young and rising stars in Adley Rutschman, Gunnar Henderson and Grayson Rodriguez.

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