The Orioles' ballpark lease expires after '21, but they can extend it for five yearsGETTY IMAGES
The Maryland Stadium Authority and the Orioles, which are in a transition period with Owner Peter Angelos "in declining health, have agreed to seek a new lease deal that would commit the club to Oriole Park at Camden Yards for years and could open the ballpark to more year-round uses," according to a front-page piece by Jeff Barker of the BALTIMORE SUN. The team and the authority -- the landlord of the Orioles and Ravens on behalf of the state -- have a "'mutual acknowledgment' that they want to negotiate a new lease before the current one expires." The current lease expires at the end of '21, although the Orioles "have the option to extend it for five years." The effort to renew the franchise's commitment to Baltimore "is significant because it comes during a period of uncertainty over the club's future ownership and when play might resume after being suspended for the coronavirus pandemic." The 90-year-old Angelos "continues to hold a majority of the limited partnership that owns the Orioles, but he has fallen into ill health." His sons, John and Louis, have "become increasingly active operating the team" (BALTIMORE SUN, 6/15).
PAYING MINOR LEAGUERS: In Baltimore, Nathan Ruiz reported the Orioles will play $400 weekly stipends "to their minor league players through the end of what was scheduled to be the minor league regular season." That means all minor leagues will be paid through Sept. 7. The Orioles previously "had committed to paying the stipend through June" (BALTIMORE SUN, 6/13).
