Orioles’ long-term lease approved

After approval by the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Board of Public Works on Monday, the Orioles have a long-term lease extension with Maryland.

Under the lease, the Orioles are committed to Camden Yards for 15 years. They’ve been given four years to agree with the state on a commercial development plan for the Warehouse and the former Maryland Sports Legends Museum.

If the Orioles are able to get a confirmed agreement for the surrounding area, then the lease extends to 30 years.

Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced the agreement and said that when he took office in January, negotiations were stalled, and he said he insisted there could be no short-term agreement.

The Orioles, who have played at Camden Yards since 1992, were playing at the ballpark in 2022 and 2023 under a two-year extension of the original 30-year lease. The lease was set to expire on December 31^st.

Moore and other state leaders spoke at Camden Yards just before the Board of Public Works vote and called the new lease “a good deal that delivers for Baltimore, delivers for Marylanders and delivers for O’s fans everywhere.”

Orioles Chair and managing partner John Angelos did not speak at the briefing. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Greg Bader spoke for the team at the Board of Public Works meeting.

“Our management group took the Orioles to the top of the league this season, and now, in partnership with Governor Wes Moore and his administration, they made this deal happen,” Angelos said in a statement.

“Most importantly, I’m happy we can deliver on our promise to fans of keeping the Orioles here for 30 more years, marking the 100^th season of the team in Baltimore.”

“Under this deal, we’ll keep the Orioles in Baltimore for the long-term with a no relocation clause under any scenario,” Moore said.

For now, the Maryland Stadium Authority will continue to maintain the stadium.

Maryland State Comptroller Brooke Lierman, who attended the first game at Camden Yards with her father and is a devoted fan, said the deal would outlast her time in office.

“It may also outlast the current ownership of the Orioles. Therefore, it’s essential to me that the MSA has the ability to step in and seek recourse to maintain the state jewel,” she said.

Moore and Angelos appeared together on the scoreboard during the September 28^th game that clinched the Orioles’ first American League East title since 2014 with an announcement that the deal was done.

Instead, it was a Memorandum of Understanding that was non-binding.

There was another agreement on December 8^th that was quickly scrapped when State Senate President Bill Ferguson, who also spoke at the briefing, voiced objections.