Mandalay Baseball Properties yesterday announced a long-rumored deal to sell the Double-A Texas League Frisco RoughRiders to former MLB Rangers CEO & co-Owner Chuck Greenberg. The RoughRiders will join a Greenberg minor-league portfolio that also includes the Single-A Carolina League Myrtle Beach Pelicans and New York-Penn League State College Spikes. Also part of the Greenberg group is Scott Sonju, current RoughRiders President and now co-Managing Partner of the newly formed Frisco RoughRiders LP investor group. Financial terms for the sale were not disclosed, but the deal closing conditioned on various approvals from the Texas League, MiLB and MLB. Industry rumors earlier this spring suggested the deal would be worth more than $30M, a record sum for a minor league baseball team. The RoughRiders have been a Rangers affiliate since '02. The deal is part of an ongoing effort by Mandalay Baseball Properties' majority owner, Seaport Capital, to divest its baseball holdings. Initial efforts were focused on selling all five MiLB teams it owns in one block, but after a lack of success there, the strategy was pivoted late last year to individual deals. Greenberg said late yesterday he does not plan to make radical changes with the franchise, but is eyeing some fan experience-oriented tweaks at Dr Pepper Ballpark. "This is a great example of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' This franchise is in excellent shape, but some things we can do to amp up the fan experience and in marketing and promotions," Greenberg said. "As soon as Mandalay pivoted to individual team deals (for their baseball holdings), I was all over this. This is a tremendous brand and a quality operation in a great market that happens to be 20 minutes from my house. I consider this one of the top minor league franchises to ever go on the market," he said.
