Sale of Orioles approved by MLB owners
Yankees involved in three-team trade on the eve of Opening Day
David Rubenstein’s purchase of the Baltimore Orioles was approved Wednesday by Major League Baseball owners, clearing the way for the Angelos family to finalize the sale after over three decades running the team.
Approval of 75% of all owners was required, and MLB said the vote was unanimous. It came the day before the team is scheduled to open the season at home against the Los Angeles Angels.
Angelos and his family took control of the Orioles in 1993, when Peter Angelos purchased the team for $173 million.
Angelos’ health took a turn for the worse in recent years — he died Saturday at age 94 — and his son John has been the team’s chairman, CEO and control person since 2019.
Rubenstein’s Carlyle Group Inc., which includes Cal Ripken Jr. and Grant Hill, reached an agreement in January to buy the Orioles for an evaluation worth $1.725 billion.
Baltimore is coming off a 101-win season and their first AL East championship since 2014.
YANKEES TRADE FOR BERTI: Jon Berti could be at third base for the banged-up Yankees in their opener against Houston after New York agreed to acquire the infielder as part of a three-team trade with Miami and Tampa Bay.
New York agreed to send catcher Ben Rortvedt to the Tampa Bay Rays and minor league outfielder Juan Cruz to the Marlins, while outfielder Shane Sasaki would move from the Rays to Miami.
The 34-year-old Berti could fill in at third base while DJ LeMahieu is on the injured list because of a bone bruise in his right foot.
BIGDEAL: Catcher Will Smith and the Los Angeles Dodgers agreed to a $140 million, 10-year contract Wednesday, raising the team’s spending to nearly $1.4 billion for five key players since December.
Smith’s deal supersedes an $8.85 million, one-year agreement he reached with the team in January.
The 28-year-old was a first-time All-Star last year, when he hit .261 with 19 homers and 76 RBIs.
BREWERLEGEND: Bob Uecker will be back behind the microphone when the Milwaukee Brewers play their home opener next Tuesday against the Minnesota Twins.
How heavy a broadcasting workload the 90-year-old Uecker will have the rest of the season remains uncertain.
“Bob Uecker calling the first pitch of the Brewers home opener is the official start of summer in Milwaukee,” Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger said Wednesday in a statement the team released on social media. “Bob expects to be back at the mic on April 2 to call the game on WTMJ and the network, and he’ll take it one day at a time after that.”
Uecker has been synonymous with Milwaukee baseball for over half a century. Uecker became the voice of the Brewers in 1971 and has been part of their broadcast team ever since.