RailRiders purchased by new organization Diamond Baseball Holdings

Dec. 8—MOOSIC — The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders announced Wednesday they have entered into an agreement to become a part of Diamond Baseball Holdings — an organization dedicated to supporting, promoting and enhancing the sport of baseball through professional management, best practices, innovation and investment.

DBH is a subsidiary of Endeavor, a global sports and entertainment company.

Following the closing of the transaction that was announced at baseball's Winter Meetings in Orlando, the RailRiders will continue to be led by Team President John Adams and General Manager Katie Beekman — and the team will remain an MLB affiliate of the New York Yankees.

In a news release announcing the sale, Diamond Baseball Holdings said it "will support Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in every aspect of the fan experience, community involvement and partnership opportunities."

"Joining Diamond Baseball Holdings is a tremendous opportunity for our franchise," Adams said. "NEPA has seen great success from our team on the field, and we look forward to creating a next-level fan experience at PNC Field in the years to come. We have been adding energetic individuals to our existing staff and gearing up for 2022. We truly believe that becoming a part of DBH will greatly benefit this team and our community well into the future."

As part of DBH, the RailRiders will work closely with Diamond Baseball Holdings' leadership, Pat Battle and Peter B. Freund, to realize the club's ambitions.

Battle is executive chairman of DBH, bringing extensive experience at the local and national level, as well as ownership interest in two PDL teams. He is currently chairman of the board of Learfield and serves as an adviser to Endeavor across multiple companies.

Freund is CEO of DBH, bringing a wealth experience as a longtime Minor League Baseball owner and operator. Freund most recently consulted with the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball on the transition of Major League Baseball's licensed affiliates, while spearheading the formation of the MLB Draft League.

"Diamond Baseball Holdings will be global in our ambitions and hyper-local in our approach and creating incredible fan experiences will remain our number one priority," said Battle and Freund in a joint statement. "Additionally, we look forward to providing opportunities for growth to the employees of PDL Clubs whose passion and ingenuity have built the sport through the decades."

DBH will support the RailRiders with ticket sales, partnerships, naming rights, food & beverage, merchandise, content strategy, collectibles/authentics/NFTs and media rights, tapping into the broader Endeavor network for expertise across the various disciplines.

Kevin Reichard, founder and publisher of Ballpark Digest, was at the Winter Meetings. Reichard said, "Punctuating a very quiet Winter Meetings in Orlando, we now see the announcement of private-equity backed Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) and the acquisition of nine MiLB teams, with potentially more coming down the road. This is the long-awaited deal from sports and entertainment Endeavor."

Five teams were acquired in this first round, including:

—Hudson Valley Renegades (High-A East)

—Iowa Cubs (Triple-A East)

—Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A East)

—San Jose Giants (Low-A West)

—Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A East)

In addition, Reichard said four other teams are in the process of being approved for purchase:

—Augusta GreenJackets (Low-A East)

—Gwinnett Stripers (Triple-A East)

—Mississippi Braves (Double-A South)

—Rome Braves (High-A East)

Reichard said two other teams — Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A West) and Springfield Cardinals (Double-A Central) — were also discussed at the Winter Meetings as possible acquisition targets, but some last-minute negotiations reportedly came up short in the past few days.

The acquisitions are still subject to final approvals.

The RailRiders play in the Northeast Division of Triple-A East, an affiliate of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball. The team plays at PNC Field (formerly Lackawanna County Stadium), their home since 1989.

The team was known as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons from 1989 to 2006 and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees from 2007 to 2012. The franchise has won two Governors' Cup championships and one Triple-A National Championship.

DBH purchased the franchise from SWB Investors LLC, and prior to that the team was owned by Mandalay Baseball.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.