‘I feel lied to’: State leaders blindsided by Angelos family’s sale of Orioles shortly after signing lease deal
BALTIMORE – In a joint news release in February, Gov. Wes Moore and John Angelos detailed their shared commitment to revitalizing the Camden Yards complex as they worked toward a long-term lease. In March, they toured the Atlanta Braves’ ballpark together, searching for stadium district ideas during Moore’s first out-of-state trip in office. And in September, the pair appeared side by side as an ill-fated scoreboard announcement promised a 30-year agreement, later revealed to be nonbinding. But when the Orioles did, eventually and officially, sign a lease with the state guaranteeing they remain in Baltimore at state-owned Oriole Park for at least 15 years (and potentially 30) during a celebratory meeting at the Camden Yards warehouse, John Angelos was not there. Instead, a couple of Orioles executives and the Oriole Bird mascot posed with Moore and other state leaders after the agreement was inked. Angelos will be even less present going forward. The Angelos family, longtime owners of the Orioles, agreed to
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sell their controlling stake in the team to an ownership group led by Baltimore native and billionaire co-founder of the Carlyle Group, David Rubenstein. State leaders did not learn of the sale until Tuesday evening when news outlets began to report on it. The agreement comes less than two months after Angelos told Moore in a phone call that he would not be selling the team, according to a source familiar with the call. Asked Wednesday whether he felt he was lied to by Angelos, Moore answered in the affirmative and said transparency was “not there.” He then emphasized that the lease agreement signed last month remains intact, regardless of owner. “It’s disappointing,” Moore said. “But it’s also the reason why we wanted to carve the deal that we carved, that says no matter who the ownership group is that this was not going to be a chance for a person to be able to relocate this team.”
Speaking at Wednesday morning’s Board of Public Works meeting in Annapolis, Moore congratulated the team’s new ownership group, while State Treasurer Dereck Davis, a fellow Democrat seated next to him, struck a different tone. “I feel lied to. I feel misled,” Davis said. The lease agreement, signed last month, required cooperation from several state leaders and unlocked at least $400 million of a potential $600 million state investment in Camden Yards that would keep the Orioles in Baltimore for at least 15 years. The agreement is similar to one the state signed with the Ravens last year. As part of the negotiation, Angelos sought the rights to develop land around Camden Yards – first seeking three parking lots and later the B&O Warehouse. Ultimately, the Orioles and state did not agree on a land rights deal but have until 2027 to come up with a plan for developing the area, including the warehouse and Camden Station.
It’s unknown when the Angelos family decided to sell the team – something that patriarch Peter Angelos, 94, said before he fell ill that he wanted to happen at the time of his death. Davis expressed dismay that John Angelos would negotiate with the state – and seek potentially lucrative development rights – knowing that the family would be selling. “It is a private business and they can do what they want, but when you’re asking the state for $600 million … and, on top of that, you’re asking for more, and you’re asking for development rights, all in the name of, we’re trying to do this for Baltimore and the state of Maryland and its people and how much we love – and you knew you weren’t gonna even be there,” he said. Davis previously called for more transparency in lease negotiations, saying in July, “there’s something that we’re not being told.” On Wednesday, Davis said he’s “not giving a pass” to Angelos.
