The Orioles are reportedly being sold to a group that includes Cal Ripken Jr. as a minority owner, and Keith McPherson of WFAN says that could spell trouble for the Yankees.
Current O’s ownership publicly stated a likely scenario where the team wouldn’t be able to lock up their young stars that led the team to a 100-win season, but if the team is now getting new owners that will be willing to spend, there could be a sustained winner in the AL East to compete with the Yanks.
“This is scary for the Yankee fan,” Keith said. “I know myself, I said ‘Good luck trying to pay all those guys.’ Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, and they have top prospect Jackson Holliday on his way up. But John Angelos once said the only way the team could afford to pay those young guys was to raise prices significantly.”
C-Mac also worries that the Orioles could become a team that goes after big names with a young core already in place, and could make the Yankees’ championship window harder to capitalize on.