Orioles, state announce 30-year deal

Editor’s Note: The morning after this announcement, additional reporting revealed that the “deal” announced during the Orioles game was a memorandum of understanding, not a new lease. An updated story is here. 

Maryland officials and the Baltimore Orioles have reached an agreement on a new long-term deal to keep the team in Baltimore.

The 30-year agreement was announced Thursday night on the screen in centerfield as the Orioles played the Boston Red Sox; the O’s won the game, 2-0, and with the victory clinched the American League East title.

Gov. Wes Moore (D) and John Angelos, team chair and CEO, appeared on the screen above the message: “The Orioles, Gov. Wes Moore and the state of Maryland and the Maryland Stadium Authority agreed to a deal that will keep the Orioles in Baltimore and at Camden Yards for at least the next 30-years.”

30 MORE YEARS IN BALTIMORE.

LET’S GO O’S!

— Governor Wes Moore (@GovWesMoore) September 28, 2023

The on-screen, in-game announcement so far is the only word of the agreement. No official announcement has yet been made by Moore, the team, or the Maryland Stadium Authority.

No other details were immediately known. The Maryland Stadium Authority is expected to meet on Tuesday, and the deal is likely to be on the agenda.

“The Baltimore Orioles are an institution and an irreplaceable member of the collective family that makes up Charm City. I am extremely pleased that under this agreement, they will continue to call Oriole Park at Camden Yards — the ballpark that forever changed baseball — home for another generation,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said in a statement. “I want to thank John Angelos and the entire Orioles organization for continuing to be a team not only in Baltimore, but of Baltimore. I also want to thank Governor Moore, Maryland Stadium Authority Chair Craig Thompson, and the entire team at the state for their great work ensuring our Orioles remain in Baltimore. I look forward to working with them and all of our partners as we embark on the next steps to modernize Oriole Park and the surrounding area into the best version of itself.”

Angelos was believed to be seeking state aid for a year-round entertainment venue adjacent to the stadium in return for a new lease.

The aid was believed to be in addition to $1.2 billion — about $600 million each for the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles — approved by the General Assembly for improvements to the teams’ respective stadiums. The Ravens signed a lease that keeps the team at M&T Bank Stadium through 2037 and includes two optional five-year extensions for a total of 25 years.

Earlier this year, Moore accompanied Angelos and team officials on a tour of The Battery Atlanta, a year-round entertainment district near the Atlanta Braves’ home field.

 This breaking news story may be updated.

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