Although we’re not too far removed from Jeffery Loria’s sale of the Miami Marlins to Derek Jeter and Co., it appears the next MLB team sale might be right around the corner.
Indeed, in a report at Bloomberg, Natalie Wong writes that Rogers Communications Inc. – owner of the Blue Jays – is considering selling some of their assets, including the team, to free up capital for other investments.
Now, I can’t claim too much experience in the world of corporate intrigue, but I’d guess that this is more than a consideration if it’s already reached this point (public announcement).
Wong warns that no deal is imminent, of course, but based on comments from CFO Tony Staffieri, this sounds like a plan they intend on seeing through. Apparently, Rogers Communications Inc. still wants to be in the sports programming game, but are now realizing that they don’t actually have to own a team to do so (pointing to their 12-year deal with the NHL as an example).
It probably didn’t hurt seeing the Marlins fetch such an incredible price ($1.2 billion, when outside valuations had them worth under $1 billion).
At such a preliminary stage, I couldn’t possibly speculate on the impact this could have around the league or even what buyers will get involved, so for now, just keep this at the back of your mind and we’ll pick it back up when it starts gaining steam.