NASHVILLE — Since bursting onto the scene in 2021, Diamond Baseball Holdings has quickly grown into baseball’s largest owner of minor league clubs, buying up nearly a quarter of all MLB affiliates over a span of just two years.
That includes the Portland Sea Dogs and Salem Red Sox, and Tuesday the company announced it’s adding a third Red Sox affiliate as well.
The Worcester Red Sox, Boston’s Triple-A affiliate, is set to become the latest addition to DBH’s sprawling portfolio, which has now swelled to 29 teams after the company also announced the acquisition of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats and Louisville Bats. The deal is reportedly for approximately $70 million.
The WooSox will remain the Triple-A affiliate of the Red Sox and play at Polar Park under the continued leadership of Larry Lucchino as chairman, Dr. Charles Steinberg as president and Dan Rea as general manager. The existing front office staff will also remain in place, and Lucchino and local leaders Ralph Crowley and Jim Skeffington Jr. will be retained in the club’s ownership group.
“At 78, and after 44 years in baseball, I believe it’s time to have a succession plan, one that assures a commitment to baseball and a commitment to Worcester,” Lucchino in a statement. “There is no organization more committed to Minor League Baseball than Diamond Baseball Holdings, and we welcome Pat Battle, Peter Freund, and this organization to our city. There is no local business leader more invested in Worcester and in Polar Park than Ralph Crowley, and we are pleased that he is part of the ownership group. Jim Skeffington’s late father and I set out to keep the Boston Red Sox’ Triple-A club in New England, and in good hands, and I trust that Pat and Peter will be excellent stewards.”
Speaking exclusively to the Herald at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Diamond Baseball Holdings CEO Peter Freund called the WooSox the crown jewel of Minor League Baseball and expressed excitement for the opportunity to work with the club.
“Larry and Charles have done an amazing job in Worcester so we can’t wait to have it under our umbrella, but the fans can expect Triple-A Red Sox, same experience they’ve had,” Freund said. “We have more to learn from the WooSox than they do from us, they do a fantastic job as far as being the pinnacle of Minor League Baseball, so can’t wait to do it.”
Much like Portland and Salem, Boston’s Double-A and Low-A affiliates which were acquired by DBH last offseason, Freund said he doesn’t anticipate implementing any major changes in Year 1 and that for fans in Worcester it should be business as usual. For Portland and Salem, however, plans are in the works for major ballpark improvements that should come to fruition in the coming years.
Freund said the work on Portland’s Hadlock Field, though still in the development stage, should be significant.
“We are going to do a construction project up in Portland, which is not only for the player development side but for fan facing as well,” Freund said. “We’re investing a significant amount of money in Portland, so that will probably happen for the ’25 season when people will really feel it.”
Salem is also likely to see improvements, though that franchise faces another hurdle that must be cleared first. The lease for Salem Memorial Ballpark is due to expire after this coming season, and though no agreements have been reached, Freund said negotiations with the city are ongoing.
“We don’t have an agreement but we’re committed to the Salem/Roanoke market, the Red Sox are committed and we’re going to do a great job to continue doing what we do there,” Freund said.
Beyond facility improvements, Freund said another change fans should notice is an increase in events hosted by its ballparks. Where individual minor league organizations might not have previously been able to afford a headline concert, Freund said DBH can take advantage of its scale and resources to attract bigger acts to its parks.
“When you ask if there’s a new experience for the fans, it’s the Winterfest we have in many of our ballparks right now, we convert them into ice skating rinks and light shows and Santa Claus and the concert tours we want to bring through, and the Savannah Bananas, who have been really successful coming through our ballparks, comedy shows, you name it,” Freund said. “The one thing each of these clubs can expect is for us to take advantage of our scale to bring in a headline concert tour.”
The WooSox sale is expected to be completed by the end of the year, after which point there will only be a few months until Opening Day. Given how well their first year with Portland and Salem went, Freund said he’s excited to be a part of the Worcester community and expects bright days ahead.
“We’re really bullish,” Freund said. “Attendance was up significantly across all of baseball and Minor League Baseball, we continue to believe in the sport and New England is a perfect spot for us.”