Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien this morning said that the group buying the Pawtucket Red Sox "will not be keeping it" in the Rhode Island town. The Int'l League team, which is the Red Sox' Triple-A affiliate, has agreed to be sold to a group of investors, and WPRO-AM's Gene Valicenti cited sources as saying that the team is looking to move to Providence. Grebien echoed that sentiment, saying, “That’s what I’m hearing. I want to respect the business deal. It is a private business deal. ... We’re still going to be very aggressive. We’ve made it clear that we want them here in Pawtucket." He added, "They’ve basically told us that they’re looking at other options, but that they would at least listen to us and have those conversations. So I want to be careful and let them share what they want to on their terms and not affect that relationship. But at the end of the day, my job as mayor in Pawtucket is to make sure they stay in Pawtucket and they see the value they haven’t seen." Grebien admitted it was "disappointing to hear last night without any discussion whatsoever that they’ve got a plan and it doesn’t involve Pawtucket." He noted Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo is "committed to doing whatever it takes to keep them in Pawtucket." Grebien: "I’m not going to get in their way, but I am going to use my sales pitch here to market and keep the branding here because we’ve done a great job with the branding" (“WPRO Morning News,” WPRO-AM, 2/23).
LOOKING FOR PRIVATELY-FUNDED BALLPARK: Providence-based WPRI-CBS' Dan McGowan cites sources as saying that the new ownership group, which wants to "move the team to a privately-financed stadium in Providence," met this morning with Mayor Jorge Elorza and City Council President Luis Aponte. The ownership group includes MLB Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino, former CVS/Caremark Corporation President & CEO Tom Ryan; former Fleet Blank CEO Terry Murray; and attorney James Skeffington. Sources said that the new ballpark "would be paid for by the new owners, but they would require the state to give them land at no cost." Sources said that the ownership group also would "like to move out of Pawtucket within three years" (WPRI.com, 2/23). In Providence, Kevin McNamara reports the sale price "has not been disclosed, but the transaction will not include McCoy Stadium." The PawSox "have been owned" by Ben Mondor and his family since '77. Mondor died in '10; his widow, Madeleine, "remains the franchise’s majority shareholder." Longtime team President Mike Tamburro and VP & GM Lou Schwechheimer have "run the team for Mrs. Mondor after working for more than 30 years alongside her husband" (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 2/23). In Rhode Island, Brendan McGair notes financial figures from Forbes show that the PawSox are "believed to be worth" $19M (PAWTUCKET TIMES, 2/23). In Boston, Alex Speier notes the PawSox "represent the second instance in recent years in which the Red Sox have been involved in the purchase of a minor league affiliate." The Red Sox "also took part in the purchase" of Single-A Carolina League Salem Red Sox in December '07. However, whereas the Red Sox had a controlling interest as the largest stakeholder in the Salem purchase, the big league club "will not have such status in the purchase of the PawSox" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/23).
BUSINESS AS USUAL? Lucchino's role in the group buying the PawSox could be another sign of his "diminished role" in the Red Sox organization. But CSN New England's Lou Merloni said, "I don't think this is a situation where Larry Lucchino got 'optioned' to Triple-A." Merloni: "The Fenway Sports Group also owns the Salem team too, the A-ball team. So this is really nothing new for the Boston Red Sox" ("Sports Sunday," CSN New England," 2/22). In Boston, Nick Cafardo noted Chair Tom Werner said that there have been "no changes" to Lucchino’s role with the Red Sox. Werner: “It’s a non-story. There is no change in his role, nor is there a so-called power struggle. Larry is reporting to [Owner John Henry] and myself, as always" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/22). Meanwhile, ESPN BOSTON's Gordon Edes noted for the "first time in memory," Red Sox GM Ben Cherington mentioned limited partner Michael Gordon when "referring to the team’s ownership group." Cherington "cited Gordon when talking about the decision-making process" that led to manager John Farrell "being given an extension." There has been "speculation that he is in line for a greater role on the baseball side" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 2/21).
