Sacramento successfully landing an MLB expansion franchise would be a “monumental undertaking, not the least of which would be finding an ownership group that could build a ballpark and pay an MLB expansion fee” that local leaders expect to top $2B, according to Graham Womack of the SACRAMENTO BEE. Developer and former Sacramento Kings minority owner Mark Friedman and former MLBer Derrek Lee, who grew up in Sacramento, are “interested in investing” in a team. Friedman on Thursday announced that he had “control of a 50-acre parcel, which is where an MLB-caliber ballpark could be built.” He said, “We’re committing land and capital, $150 million in the effort. So we’ll be an investor in the project.” Friedman, who is chairing the expansion effort, did not say what his percentage of ownership would be. Greater Sacramento Economic Council President & CEO Barry Broome said that they “‘already have two global ownership groups’ and that one of them would be in the area on June 2.” Broome said that Kings owner Vivek Ranadive “already provided a minority ownership commitment.” Womack noted former Pirates owner Kevin McClatchy “wants to help in this effort,” but he “quickly shot down a question about whether he was interested in an ownership stake.” McClatchy said, “I’m not looking for an ownership stake. I’m merely looking to help as an advisor … But I will help them get the ownership folks they’re looking for” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/28).
CROSS A NAME OFF: In Sacramento, Chris Biderman cited sources as saying that Warriors owner Joe Lacob was “approached by Sacramento officials and declined to be part of their expansion campaign.” Lacob recently bid on the Padres and has expressed interest in buying the Angels and A’s in the past. Sources said that Lacob “would prefer to buy a pre-existing team while expansion, which is likely years away, wouldn’t meet his timeline” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/28).
NOT BUYING IT: In Sacramento, LeBron Hill wrote “if you felt more cringe than excitement, you weren’t alone,” as Thursday’s announcement was a “political stunt dressed up as a bid for Major League Baseball.” Hill: “Do you have an investor to buy and run a team? Without one, the road ahead looks unclear. … The locals have got $800 million in land and investments and a committee with a catchy name.” But MLB’s expansion fee is expected to be at least $2.1B. If Sacramento is “serious, it needs a big fish with big pockets — fast.” Until Sacramento has a “real ownership group, it’s all just talk” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 5/28).
KEY PIECE: In L.A., Bill Shaikin wrote for Sacramento and the other cities pursuing two expansion teams, the outcome of collective bargaining “could determine the fee MLB would charge for each one.” On Thursday, Sacramento unveiled a $4B proposal to “land a team, build a riverfront ballpark and surround it with an entertainment district.” But by the time MLB is ready to expand, baseball insiders suggest that the “expansion fee itself” could be around $4B. Broome said, “If it’s a $4-billion fee, I’ll be surprised if there are too many people that would pay that.” A source said that the expansion fee “could range” from $3B to $5B — “on the lower end without a salary cap, on the higher end with a cap and the greater media revenues that could come with it.” Shaikin wrote that could leave suitors “scrambling for more funding at a time the surprisingly common thought is an expansion fee would be” about $2B (L.A. TIMES, 5/28).