PORTLAND, Maine — The Portland Sea Dogs announced in a release Tuesday that the team has entered into an agreement with a new owner: Diamond Baseball Holdings.
The good news for fans of both the Sea Dogs and the Boston Red Sox is the Sea Dogs will remain the Red Sox' Double-A affiliate, according to Tuesday's release.
The Sea Dogs also said the club would continue to be managed by the current Sea Dogs staff, led by President and General Manager Geoff Iacuessa.
Diamond Baseball Holdings is an organization that owns and operates multiple minor league clubs affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB). Other teams owned by the organization include:
- Iowa Cubs (Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs).
- Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals).
- Scranton/Wilkes Barre RailRiders (Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees).
- Hudson Valley Renegades (High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees).
- San Jose Giants (Single-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants).
In the team's announcement, the Sea Dogs focused heavily on promoting Diamond Baseball Holdings' commitment to community engagement.
"Focused on optimizing fan and player experiences and building on the deep engagement the Sea Dogs have fostered within the Portland community for nearly 30 years, DBH will seek to further the Club’s growth and innovation through investment in technology across ticketing, customer data and marketing, concessions and many other areas, as well as new value-generating opportunities in partnership with MLB," the Sea Dogs said in Tuesday's release.
Bill Burke and Sally McNamara, current Sea Dogs owners and the children of team founder Dan Burke, said it's the right time for their family to move on.
"We are very pleased to have found in DBH an ownership team with deep experience in minor league baseball and strong commitments to Portland, the Red Sox, and, most importantly, Geoff Iacuessa and his remarkable front office staff,” Bill Burke said in Tuesday's release. “Going forward, the Sea Dogs will have all the resources in place to take this franchise to new heights for the greatest fans in minor league sports.”
“It has been an honor and a privilege to steward his legacy, and our family is looking forward to being back in the Hadlock stands next season and enjoying the games as fans," McNamara added.
“We are grateful to Bill Burke and Sally McNamara for entrusting us with the incredible Club they’ve built and for believing in our mission to enrich local communities around the country through minor league baseball,” Peter Freund, CEO of Diamond Baseball Holdings, said in Tuesday's release.
The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the year, subject to standard consents and closing conditions, Tuesday's release said.