Orioles and MSA agree to lease extension for Camden Yards

The Orioles and the Maryland Stadium Authority agreed earlier today to a two-year extension on the lease for Camden Yards.

The MSA approved an amendment to the agreement at an ad hoc meeting of its board of directors.

The extension will run through Dec. 31, 2023. The Orioles have the option of exercising a five-year extension, with a decision needed by Feb. 1, 2023.

The amendment is contingent upon and subject to the approval of the Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW). Once signed by both the MSA and the Orioles, this amendment will be presented to the BPW and effective on the date of that approval.

"In the generation since the 'Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball' opened in the heart of Maryland, Oriole Park at Camden Yards has attracted more than 72 million visitors to Downtown Baltimore. The Orioles are proud of our one-of-a-kind partnership with the Maryland Stadium Authority and the more than $10 billion in local impact we have created together for the residents of the city and state that we have called home for 67 years," Orioles chairman and CEO John Angelos said in a statement.

"The Orioles partnership group that has managed Oriole Park to this spectacular level of returned economic impact are native Marylanders with a vision of continuing our long-term commitment as economic development and community contributors for generations to come.

"At a moment when we are all coming together to meet the public health and economic challenges brought by the COVID-19 crisis, today's partnership extension by the MSA and the Orioles is an important collaborative step as the Chairman and Board of the Maryland Stadium Authority join together with the Chairman and Leadership of the Baltimore Orioles Limited Partnership group in fulfilling our aligned vision."

"By working in partnership with the Orioles, Oriole Park at Camden Yards remains a world-class facility in Major League Baseball that inspired urban revitalization across the nation," Michael J. Frenz, executive director of the MSA, said in a statement. "MSA understands and appreciates public interest in the Lease and the future of this beloved ballpark. While we cannot comment publicly on details of ongoing negotiations, MSA, together with the Orioles, promises to keep fans informed of major developments, as appropriate."

The Orioles played their first game at Camden Yards in April 1992 and are seeking a longer-term commitment.

"The MSA and the Orioles are currently discussing terms of a new lease and capital reinvestment that would keep the team playing in an upgraded Oriole Park at Camden Yards that would offer increased economic benefits from both baseball and year-round, non-baseball uses," MSA chairman Thomas Kelso said in a statement.

Angelos has made repeated attempts to quash rumors and speculation of the team's eventual relocation to another city such as Nashville or Las Vegas.

During a downtown luncheon in September 2019, Angelos said, "As long as Fort McHenry is watching over the harbor, the Orioles will be in Baltimore."