Baltimore Orioles Franchise The Show 18

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Orioles Sold to David Kolton Group for $1.8B

By:Roch Kubatko
May 1, 2017

Late Sunday night the ownership group of the Baltimore Orioles since 1993 led by Peter Angelos agreed to the sale of the team for $1.8 billion. Major League Baseball is expected to approve the deal by the end of the month. The new ownership group is led by David Kolton the Chairman and CEO of Kolton Industries, a tech group located just outside of Baltimore.

Rumors are already making their rounds around the warehouse. It is expected that once the new ownership group takes over the Orioles will part ways with Executive Vice President Dan Duquette. No word yet on what the future holds for manager Buck Showalter, but I would expect him to at least stay through the remainder of the season.

The sale is also expected to include the rights to MASN Sports and all other Orioles media production.

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Orioles Introduce New Ownership

By:Roch Kubatko
May 16, 2017

David Kolton was introduced to the the media just 2 weeks after purchasing the team from former Chairman Peter Angelos. Kolton gave a few remarks about the future. "The Orioles will continue compete for a World Series title" Kolton said, "we are a proud franchise and Orioles fans deserve a world champion". Kolton will serve as the CEO of the Orioles but will allow his management team to operate in their capacity and have freedom to operate.

Kolton also introduced new President Jeff Goering. Goering will run the day-to-day operations of the club and report directly to Kolton. Previously Goering had been with the Baltimore Ravens since 1999. He has served as Senior Vice President of Finance since 2015.

Goering said that he along with Kolton will meet with Executive Vice President Dan Duquette in the next day or two to get up to speed on the club and any future decisions will not be made until after the June draft.

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Press Release
June 19, 2017

The Orioles have named Ray Montgomery as President of Baseball Operations. Montgomery will have final decision making authority over all things baseball related. He will report to Owner David Kolton.

Montgomery, 48, comes from the Brewers organization where he currently served as Vice President, Scouting. He was a 13th-round Draft pick of the Astros in 1990 and played parts of 13 pro seasons as an outfielder, including stints in the Major Leagues with Houston over three straight years from 1996-98.


After playing in the Mets organization in 2001, Montgomery transitioned to a scouting career with the Brewers beginning in 2002, rising through the ranks to Midwest cross-checker from 2007-10, then to assistant scouting director from 2009-10. The Arizona Diamondbacks hired Montgomery as scouting director in 2011, and he held that job until the Brewers hired him back in November 2014.


The Orioles also announced that we have hired former Brewers GM Doug Melvin as Senior Advisor, Baseball Operations.

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The State of the Orioles

By: Roch Kubatko
June 20, 2017

Yesterday the Orioles introduced new President of Baseball Operations Ray Montgomery. The hiring and ownership change seem to have brought a wave of optimism throughout the organization. Both Montgomery and Kolton speak with confidence and excitement as they talk about the future of the team.

As noted in the press conference, the Orioles are expected to hire a GM to pair with Montgomery to form a two tiered management system. For now, lets take a look at where the Orioles currently stand and what is on the "to do list" for the new baseball executives.

Currently the Orioles sit in fourth place in the American League East at 34-35. As the trade deadline approaches it will be interesting to see where they see themselves this year. Do they go all in for a playoff push or do they take a step back and sell off a few pieces? As has been documented, the Orioles have several key free agents at the end of the 2018 season. They could look trade some of those assets now, as it's likely they have more value now then in their contract year.

The Orioles have several decisions to make, one of the most pressing is what to do with Manny Machado. Many in the industry expect the Orioles to open dialogue with Machado and agent Dan Lozano to explore an extension, however the Orioles have yet to tip their hand. If they look to trade him, one would imagine he would be in high demand and bring back a couple of shiny new prospects.

Zach Britton is another Oriole that is expected to be discussed in trade talks around the deadline. We have already heard the Dodgers and Astros as possible destinations. Britton would provide a huge boost to either team as they look to solidify their pens. The Orioles should definitely explore his market.

If however, the new management decides to go all in, the Orioles could turn into a buyer. The problem with this option is the Orioles farm system, while improving, still lacks the top prospects required to bring back a difference maker. The Orioles could use a boost in the rotation and possibly some middle infield help as they look to chase down a wild card spot.

It will be interesting to see what direction the new ownership takes this organization. The one thing we do know is there seems to be a new energy around the team these days.

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