As we reported earlier: Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) has acquired the Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A; Eastern League), with at least three more purchases expected to be announced shortly. UPDATED!
We reported the takeover of the Portland Sea Dogs in earlier Diamond Baseball Holdings coverage.
The Sea Dogs will continue to be managed by the current front-office staff, led by President and General Manager Geoff Iacuessa, and remain the Double-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
“After thirty years of ownership and following our best season ever in 2022, the time is right for our family to move on. We are very pleased to have found in DBH an ownership team with deep experience in minor league baseball and strong commitments to Portland, the Red Sox and, most importantly, Geoff Iacuessa and his remarkable front office staff,” said Bill Burke, Chairman of the Portland Sea Dogs, via press release. “Going forward, the Sea Dogs will have all the resources in place to take this franchise to new heights for the greatest fans in minor league sports.”
“My brother and I are confident that the Portland Sea Dogs staff, along with these new owners, will carry on our father’s founding vision and commitment to bringing high-quality professional baseball and family-friendly entertainment to Portland,” said Sally McNamara, Treasurer of the Portland Sea Dogs, via press release. “It has been an honor and a privilege to steward his legacy, and our family is looking forward to being back in the Hadlock stands next season and enjoying the games as fans.”
“The Sea Dogs are a treasured cornerstone of the Portland community. It is an honor to partner with them to support and advance their best-in-class fan and community connectivity,” said Pat Battle, Executive Chairman of Diamond Baseball Holdings, via press release
“We are grateful to Bill Burke and Sally McNamara for entrusting us with the incredible Club they’ve built and for believing in our mission to enrich local communities around the country through minor league baseball,” said Peter Freund, CEO of Diamond Baseball Holdings, via press release
According to a Sea Dogs press release, the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the year, subject to standard consents and closing conditions.
This is not expected to be DBH’s only announcement of a team purchase at the Baseball Winter Meetings in San Diego; we hear that the next acquisitions will be the Midland RockHounds (Double-A; Texas League), as well as the Hickory Crawdads (High-A; Sally League) and Down East Wood Ducks (Single-A; Carolina League) from the Texas Rangers.
Diamond Baseball Holdings made a splash at the 2021 Winter Meetings with the announcement of the purchase of nine MiLB teams across all levels of play; the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A; Pacific Coast League) were later added to the roster.
DBH operates 10 MiLB clubs: Iowa Cubs (Triple-A; International League); Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A; International League); Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A; Pacific Coast League); Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders(Triple-A; International League); Hudson Valley Renegades(High-A; South Atlantic League); San Jose Giants (Single-A; California League); Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A; International League); Mississippi Braves (Double-A; Southern League); Rome Braves (High-A; South Atlantic League); Augusta GreenJackets (Single-A; Carolina League) and Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A; Pacific Coast League League). A purchase of the Wichita Wind Surge (Double-A; Eastern League) is pending.
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