Baltimore Orioles, Maryland Governor Commit to Revitalizing Camden Yards Campus

With the Orioles' lease at their home park set to expire at the end of the year, the team and state released a joint statement that reiterated their intentions to stay long term.

The Baltimore Orioles and Maryland Governor Wes Moore released a joint statement through MLB on Thursday morning, publicly reiterating their intentions to "expand and revitalize" the Camden Yards Campus.

Back in February, the Orioles elected not to exercise a five-year option on their lease of Camden Yards. As a result, the team's lease is set to expire at the end of 2023.

The team reportedly rejected the five-year extension because it wanted a longer, more comprehensive stadium deal, per Baltimore Sun reporter Jeff Barker.

In 2022, then-Governor Larry Hogan signed a law that the Maryland Stadium Authority would bond out $600 million to both the Orioles and Baltimore Ravens, granted that the franchises sign lease extensions. Moore and the Orioles appear to be moving forward with their negotiations regarding the lease, as well as extensive work in the surrounding neighborhoods.

The joint statement reads as follows:

The last four months have been exciting on and off the field. Baltimore City and the State of Maryland all have Orioles fever. We’ve laid the groundwork for success, and progress is also being made on our vision to expand and revitalize the Camden Yards campus.

We are determined to make it happen, and soon.

What comes next for the Camden Yards campus must serve our entire community and the city as a whole. From the ballpark and surrounding neighborhoods to Harborplace and the Inner Harbor, we are committed to making the downtown corridor a premier destination that benefits Baltimore and Maryland residents year-round.

We have shared ideals to create a thriving and inclusive Baltimore, not just for the Orioles, but for all those who call it home.

While the Angelos family – which has owned the club since October 1993 – has reiterated on multiple occasions that the Orioles will be remaining in Baltimore, stadium disputes have led to plenty of relocation drama in the past few years alone.

The Oakland Athletics are on the verge of moving to Las Vegas, with Nevada's state government recently approving $380 million in funding for a new ballpark and ownership reportedly in the early stages of submitting an official relocation application to commissioner Rob Manfred. The Tampa Bay Rays have been trying to get a new stadium built for nearly 15 years, and a potential ownership change could lead to the franchise moving to Montreal, Nashville or elsewhere.

Orioles Park at Camden Yards isn't quite as old as the Oakland Coliseum, opening in 1992 compared to 1966, and it also underwent significant renovations in both 2009 and 2012.

Baltimore has plenty of experience with a keystone team leaving town, though, with the Baltimore Colts moving to Indianapolis, effectively overnight, back in 1984.

The Orioles have consistently ranked bottom-10 in attendance over the past few seasons, while also failing to break .500 from 2017 to 2021. Legal battles between the Angelos family further complicated the team's future, with Georgia, John and Louis all opening lawsuits against one another regarding the 94-year-old patriarch Peter's estate.

However, the tide has shifted in 2023.

The Angelos dropped all lawsuits in February, and the Orioles went into the All-Star break sitting at 54-35. Attendance is up 19.4% year-over-year, and the young core of catcher Adley Rutschman, third baseman Gunnar Henderson and closer Felix Bautista has helped respark fan interest.

The Orioles, regardless of the progress in their lease negotiations, will return to play Friday at home against the Miami Marlins. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

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