There have been some behind the scenes movement in Orlando and Raleigh.
Despite Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s assurances that his business plans to add two teams eventually, MLB is not close to adding two teams in the near future. There is a collective bargaining agreement that needs to be negotiated with the players and for the past year there has been some saber rattling going on between the two sides. Expansion does make sense from the owners’ viewpoint as around $4 billion will come in from the two new team owners and that can be split up 30 ways which gives each team owner and partners around $133 million for doing nothing but welcoming two new members to the lodge. The players get 52 new jobs. There is some movement through in the potential expansion cities.
Someone in the Raleigh area got Forbes to do a puff piece story on how the area has a potential owner in Tom Dundon who owns the local National Hockey League franchise and has added the National Basketball Association’s Portland Trail Blazers franchise to his portfolio and Raleigh is a growing market. Meanwhile, the Orlando Dreamers baseball group seems to be in a bit of turmoil. Two of its investors have dropped out of the group. Dr. Rick Workman has joined the group who is attempting to buy the Tampa Bay Rays’ franchise and John Morgan is not going to be investing in any Major League Baseball franchise. Morgan did leave with a parting shot. “I believe what will happen now is this group will seek a sweetheart deal in Tampa, while stringing the prospects of Orlando as a bargaining chip. They will get lots of free land and entitlements and make a real estate profit on the surrounding land at the taxpayers’ expense. Certainly not for the people, but for the rich people.” Morgan is most probably correct.
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