Gov. Moore administration: No short-term lease for Camden Yards, long-term Orioles deal is the goal

Multiple members within Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s administration believe a short-term lease extension will not be required to keep the Orioles at Camden Yards, reiterating that a deal will be completed before the Dec. 31 expiration.

Those officials, who spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity so they could discuss the negotiations, opted against discussing specific aspects of the lease negotiations. But a goal, they said, is a lease for the Major League Baseball organization that would keep the team for “decades to come” and could also serve as a catalyst to revitalize downtown Baltimore.

While the officials didn’t place a specific target date on a completed lease, they emphasized their commitment to finishing it as soon as possible. Because the totality of negotiations extend beyond a traditional stadium lease — they include a focus on public-private partnership to revitalize downtown Baltimore — there are more moving parts.

The two sides are holding “daily discussions,” said one official, who added the administration is “confident about getting to terms.”

“Deals like this are very complex and they take time. We always knew this, as did the Orioles,” the official said. “We feel good about where we are and we feel strong about where things stand.”

A spokesperson for Orioles chairman and CEO John Angelos did not reply to a request for comment.

The insistence that a short-term extension won’t be necessary comes months after Angelos expressed in a Jan. 31 letter to Moore that he would be open to a two-year extension. The letter, which was acquired by The Baltimore Banner, told Moore shortly after the governor took office that the short-term extension could offer them more time to work out a more complex deal.

Angelos wrote that “a simple, two year extension is the best protection for Maryland taxpayers’ investment in the highest and best development and stewardship of the Camden Yards property.”

He went on to write that he’d have the Orioles’ lawyers reach out to the state’s lawyers “to implement an extension agreement consistent with our current extension.”

The next day, however, Angelos and Moore issued a joint statement expressing an intention to work together on a long-term deal that would revive Camden Yards with a “live, work, play theme that will bring residents, businesses, and tourists to downtown Baltimore year-round.”

Angelos has floated several ideas for what that district could look like, most recently mentioning in The New York Times that an elementary school located in the B&O Warehouse was a possibility. A former administrator under Gov. Larry Hogan said an official term sheet from the Orioles never arrived during Hogan’s regime.

The Moore officials painted a picture of negotiations that involve “back and forth” but not “hang-ups.”

“The media has kind of created a narrative that there are hang-ups,” one official said. “I wouldn’t classify any of what we’re talking about as hang-ups.”

The Moore administration is working with three core principles in the negotiations, officials said: ensuring a deal benefits the broader community, leveraging state dollars to “unlock private investment” in the area, and signing a deal that will keep the team in Baltimore for the long term.

“We’re totally focused on keeping the team in Baltimore for the next generation,” another official said. “We’re confident that we’ll get a long-term deal done soon, one that’s in the best interest of both the taxpayers and the broader Baltimore community.”

In an official statement, Moore’s communications director David Turner reiterated the governor’s focus on completing a deal with the Orioles.

“Since day one, Governor Moore has shown his commitment to making a deal that keeps the Orioles in Baltimore and is good for the taxpayers of Maryland. This approach will attract private investment to Baltimore for the benefit of the broader Baltimore community and Marylanders all across the state,” Turner’s statement said.

It continued: “The Moore-Miller Administration remains focused on getting this deal done. The Orioles have been reliable, community-minded partners and we are working together to secure the team’s future at Camden Yards for decades to come.”

If and when the Orioles sign a new lease for the state-owned ballpark, they’ll unlock access to $600 million worth of state-funded bonds that can be used for upgrades and renovations.

Lawmakers approved issuing a combined $1.2 billion in bonds for the Orioles and the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens, contingent upon signing new leases, in 2022.

The Orioles and the Moore administration are facing down a Dec. 31 deadline to sign a new or extended lease, as that’s when the current agreement expires.

Back in February, the Orioles opted not to exercise a one-time, five-year extension of the current lease, which has the team paying rent based on a calculation of revenues such as ticket sales.

Later, it became clear that Angelos wanted exclusive rights to develop parts of the state-owned property as well as a $300 million influx of cash from the state — both of which are now off the table, sources have said.

The Ravens already signed a new lease at neighboring M&T Bank Stadium and have begun the process of planning renovations.

The Ravens are not part of the direct discussions between the Orioles and the state, but are “apprised” of developments as necessary, an administration official said.

andy.kostka@thebaltimorebanner.com

pamela.wood@thebaltimorebanner.com

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