Meet the new WooSox owners following sale of Triple-A club

WORCESTER — Ever since becoming CEO of Diamond Baseball Holdings in 2021, Peter Freund set his sights on purchasing the Worcester Red Sox.

Freund says he considers the Boston Red Sox’s Triple-A affiliate to be the crown jewel of Minor League Baseball.

“This is kind of the gold standard of minor league teams and we consider ourselves at Diamond Baseball sort of the gold standard of operating minor league teams,” Freund said. “It just felt like from Day 1 this is the team that we wanted to pursue.”

Tuesday, Freund and his business partner, Diamond Baseball Holdings executive chairman Pat Battle, turned that vision into a reality when they bought the majority of shares of the WooSox.

“The patience paid off after a long time of trying to buy them,” Freund said. “It is probably the best minor league team in the country.”

With the sale, Freund and Battle will now run the Worcester Red Sox — along with minority shareholders Ralph Crowley, Larry Lucchino and Jim Skeffington Jr. — moving forward.

So, who are the new WooSox owners?

Who is Peter Freund?

Born and raised in New York, Freund grew up going to Minor League Baseball games with his father and even attended a few Pawtucket Red Sox games as a kid before embarking on a professional career of owning and operating minor league clubs.

Prior to joining Diamond Baseball Holdings, Freund worked in the office of the commissioner of baseball. A minority owner of the New York Yankees, Freund has owned and operated Minor League Baseball teams for over a decade including the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (Triple-A Yankees), Memphis Redbirds (Triple-A Cardinals), Charleston RiverDogs (Class-A Rays) and Williamsport Crosscutters (MLB Draft League).

What to know: About Diamond Baseball Holdings, the company that bought the WooSox

“I really enjoy this industry,” Freund said. “This is like a dream-come-true job for me.”

Who is Pat Battle?

Battle, meanwhile, is executive chairman of Diamond Baseball Holdings. He brings extensive experience at the local and national level.

A veteran in licensing, Battle co-founded Collegiate Licensing Co. and previously served as chairman of IMG College from 2007 to 2011, where he helped develop and manage integrated licensing, marketing and multimedia rights programs for more than 200 universities, conferences, bowls and the NCAA.

After helping Diamond Baseball Holdings double its initial portfolio of minor league teams in the past two years, including the purchase of the Salem Red Sox (Single-A) and Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A), Battle and Freund are adding another Red Sox affiliate to their list.

What's Diamond Baseball Holdings' message to WooSox fans?

“We’re committed to Worcester,” Freund said. “We’re committed to keeping the team vibrant, on the cutting edge of everything that is baseball. Everything from technology, to growing the game, to maintaining the stadium and the high standards, and we’re committed to the Red Sox (and) Triple-A baseball.

“Look, if you’re a fan of the WooSox, this is almost a non-event. We’re going to continue to build and do what they’ve already come to see and expect.”

With the reported $70 million sale expected to be complete before the end of the year, the WooSox will remain the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and continue to play at Polar Park in Worcester.

Lucchino will stay on as chairman, Dr. Charles Steinberg as president and Dan Rea as general manager and executive vice president of business and real estate. The current front office staff will also remain intact.

“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,” Lucchino said in a press release. “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’s Triple-A club in New England, and in good hands, and I trust that Pat and Peter will be excellent stewards.”

Holdovers from the previous 11-member ownership group, Crowley, Lucchino and Skeffington Jr. maintain minority shares with the WooSox. The trio are excited to be part of a “succession plan” that assures a commitment to baseball in the city of Worcester for years to come.

“The WooSox ownership group is proud of what we’ve set in motion and thrilled to now give DBH the reins,” Crowley said in the release. “Peter, Pat and the team at DBH are committed to advancing our shared vision of excellent baseball and a standout fan experience for the Worcester community. Larry and I are grateful to the Red Sox organization for the continued partnership and look forward to more Red Sox baseball with DBH.”

“Worcester is in good hands going forward,” Skeffington said over the phone Wednesday.

And after spending two years trying to buy the team, Freund and Diamond Baseball Holdings are thrilled to finally get their hands on WooSox ownership.

“This is the crown jewel of Minor League Baseball,” Freund said. “It’s the Red Sox, it’s Triple-A and the Worcester community is the heart and soul of the team so … we’re coming in to continue to build on what is already an amazing legacy.”

Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44. 

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Diamond Baseball Holdings buys majority of shares of Worcester Red Sox