Orioles fans keen on team's potential takeover by Baltimore native David Rubenstein: "One less cheap owner is one more dub"
New information from insiders has linked billionaire businessman David Rubenstein to a potential ownership bid for the Baltimore Orioles. After a 2023 regular season that saw the Birds exceed virtually all expectations, fans are lauding the news.
A native of Baltimore, Rubenstein attended high school locally before graduating from Duke University. In 1987, he founded the Carlyle Group and remains the co-chairman of the Washington, DC-based private equity firm. As of 2023, Rubenstein's net worth is estimated to be $3.6 billion.
"Carlyle co-founder David Rubenstein is in talks to acquire Major League Baseball’s Baltimore Orioles, according to people with knowledge of the matter" - Bloomberg Pursuits
The Baltimore Orioles have been owned by lawyer Peter Angelos since 1993. In recent years, the 94-year-old and his family have come under fire, particularly for their refusal to sign a new lease for the stadium, among other antics.
Upon hearing that David Rubenstein may be becoming the team's new owner, many O's fans rejoiced.
Despite the strong season in 2023 that saw the Orioles become the only team in the AL to win 100 games, the team has struggled to win games for most of the past decade. Between 2018 and 2021, the O's won just 178 games, among the lowest figures in all of MLB across that span of time.
As has been witnessed under the administration of billionaire New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, having an owner with Rubenstein's means would allow the team to throw off the shackles of many financial constraints. Notwithstanding their recent success, the O's have struggled to match the high-spending ways of other teams in their division, like the Red Sox and Yankees.
The news is only hearsay and has not yet been confirmed. However, after witnessing poor ownership decisions from other teams like the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels, Orioles fans are eager to feel a sense of competency from an owner. That is, apparently, something that Rubenstein and company could supply.
David Rubenstein's financial resources would be a hard thing for O's to ignore
Previously linked to a possible ownership bid for the NFL's Washington Nationals, Rubenstein's name comes with a tremendous amount of cache.
After 2023, Orioles fans finally got a taste of winning again. However, if they want to keep that winning habit alive after several disastrous seasons, then throwing in a deep-pocketed individual like Rubenstein would be far from the worst idea.