John Angelos hints Orioles would need to ‘massively’ raise ticket prices to keep stars

Baltimore Orioles followers be forewarned, ticket costs might go up if the crew needs to maintain its younger core collectively. 

Orioles managing accomplice John Angelos, in not-so-uncertain phrases, hinted at the necessity to increase ticket costs sooner or later to ensure that the crew to retain its rising stars sooner or later.

The feedback got here in a New York Times article revealed on Monday through which Angelos bemoaned being a small market crew and hinted on the correlation between participant salaries and ticket costs. 

“The toughest factor to do in sports activities is be a small-market crew in baseball and be aggressive, as a result of the whole lot is stacked towards you — the whole lot,” Angelos mentioned. 

The Orioles have been considered one of baseball’s finest tales on the sector this season, coming into Monday main the American League East and holding a 77-47 document.

The crew has additionally featured a bevy of younger expertise akin to catcher Adley Rutschman, infielder Gunnar Henderson and beginning pitcher Grayson Rodriguez that has helped propel it to the division lead.

Many are nonetheless years away from free company.  

However Angelos’ phrases aren’t seemingly going to sit down effectively with followers in Baltimore. 

“I don’t assume you must run losses,” Angelos mentioned. “I believe you must stay inside your means and inside your market.”

Prone to be much more infuriating to followers was a remark he made later. 

“We’re going to have to lift the costs right here — dramatically,” he mentioned in regard to discovering an answer for the crew to retain its younger stars. 

The Orioles’ present payroll is twenty eighth out of the 30 groups in Main League Baseball and Baltimore has traditionally been a crew that doesn’t spend a lot.

And it’s been within the backside three in payroll over the earlier three years. 

Nonetheless, Angelos tried to elucidate away why followers would wish to cough up more cash in an effort to preserve their beloved gamers. 

“Nicely, that’s a very good query,” Angelos mentioned. “However let’s say we sat down and confirmed you the financials for the Orioles. You’ll rapidly see that when individuals speak about giving this participant $200 million, that participant $150 million, we might be so financially underwater that you simply’d have to lift the costs massively. Now, are individuals going to return and pay that? I don’t know if we’re on the restrict, to your level. I don’t know if we’re in equilibrium elasticity, provide and demand. Perhaps we’re. However actually that’s only one crew. What I’m actually making an attempt to consider is macro.”

Angelos had made the supply to disclose the crew’s financials to native reporters earlier this 12 months, however later reneged on the supply. 

Whereas the Orioles have been a enjoyable story on the sector, off of it, issues have been marred in controversy. 

The ballclub has been sluggish to signal a brand new lease at Camden Yards, with the present one expiring on Dec. 31.

Consideration was additional taken away from the sector earlier this month when the team suspended broadcaster Kevin Brown for merely discussing the Orioles’ ugly document in Tampa.