Cal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill are part of the investor group that has agreed to buy the Baltimore Orioles, and so are former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke.
The group is headed by Baltimore native David Rubenstein, co-founder of the Carlyle Group. Additional investors were revealed in a news release Wednesday announcing the agreement between Rubenstein and the Angelos family.
“I am excited to once again be a part of the Orioles organization and I thank David for including me in the ownership group,” Ripken said in a statement. “The Orioles have been a part of my life since I was a child, and this is a special day.”
The Angelos family has run the team for the past three decades and is selling a control stake in the team to Rubenstein for $1.725 billion.
“I am grateful to the Angelos family for the opportunity to join the team I have been a fan of my entire life. I look forward to working with all the Orioles owners, players and staff to build upon the incredible success the team has achieved in recent seasons,” Rubenstein said. “Our collective goal will be to bring a World Series trophy back to the city of Baltimore. To the fans I say: We do it for you and can’t do it without you.”
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John Angelos, the club’s current chairman, will remain as a senior adviser.
“I am personally committed to helping David and his partners take the franchise to the next level,” Angelos said. “We think this transaction is great for Major League Baseball and great for the city of Baltimore and Maryland. We are thankful to the fans and supporters cheering on the O’s as we reached this important goal — and who will be with us celebrating more success to come.”
Once in a lifetime
CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Guardians will have a home opener unlike any in the team’s history.
On April 8, the city will experience a total solar eclipse for the first time since 1806 and the event is colliding with the Guardians’ first game at Progressive Field.
The team is trying to decide whether to start the game in the afternoon or play it at night. In recent years, the first pitch has been at 4:10 p.m., which in 2024 will come about an hour after full totality.
The good news is that the team won’t have to worry about this again anytime soon. The next total eclipse in Cleveland will be in 2444.
All-Star reliever Aroldis Chapman said Wednesday he is happy to fill whatever bullpen role the Pittsburgh Pirates need.
BRIEFLY
PIRATES: Aroldis Chapman isn’t in Pittsburgh to take David Bednar’s job. The seven-time All-Star closer is happy to fill whatever bullpen role the Pirates need. That includes working as a set-up man to Pittsburgh closer David Bednar, himself a two-time All-Star. The 35-year-old Chapman has 321 career saves and won two World Series titles, including one last fall with the Texas Rangers. Chapman said he is in Pittsburgh because he sees a young team thirsty to win.
DODGERS: Los Angeles is featuring four promotional giveaways around Shohei Ohtani this season, including a pair of bobblehead nights on May 16 and Aug. 28. There will also be a hat night on July 22 and a shirt night on Sept. 21. ... The Dodgers lowered the guarantee of James Paxton’s one-year contract from $11 million to $7 million. No reason for the change was given by the team or Paxton’s agent.
PADRES: According to an AP source, Wandy Peralta has agreed to a $16.5 million, four-year contract with San Diego. The deal is pending a physical exam and hadn’t been finalized. The 32-year-old left-hander spent the last three seasons with the New York Yankees. He went 4-2 with four saves and a 2.83 ERA in 63 appearances in 2023. He had 51 strikeouts and 30 walks in 54 innings.
METS: Adam Ottavino finalized his $4.5 million, one-year contract with New York. The 38-year-old right-hander spent the past two seasons with the Mets, his hometown team, going 1-7 with a 3.21 ERA and a career-best 12 saves last season.
BREWERS: Infielder Christian Arroyo agreed to a minor league deal with Milwaukee that includes an invitation to spring training. The 28-year-old hit .241 with three homers and 24 RBIs in 66 games for Boston last season.
ORIOLES: The first of 18 scheduled arbitration cases began Tuesday with Austin Hays and Baltimore. Hays is asking for $6.3 million. The team is offering $5.85 million. The 28-year-old All-Star outfielder hit .275 last year with 16 homers and 67 RBIs.
MARLINS: Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Miami entered salary arbitration. The outfielder asked to be paid $2.9 million this year, and the team argued for $2,625,000. Chisholm hit .250 with 19 homers, 51 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 25 tries last year, when he was shifted to center field from second base and shortstop.
DONATIONS: Donations poured in Wednesday to replace a bronze statue of Jackie Robinson that was cut from its base at a park in Wichita, Kansas. The total raised through one online fundraiser surpassed $140,000, well in excess of the estimated $75,000 value.
