The Atlanta Braves are a calendar year removed from winning the World Series. They have a new ballpark in a suburb of Atlanta and a ton of young players the organization has locked up on long-term deals in recent years.
Despite falling short of expectations in the 2022 MLB Playoffs, things are looking up for the Braves. Apparently, that could force owner John Malone to sell the team while the pickings are ripe.
Liberty Media announced on Thursday that it plans to split off the Braves “into an asset-basked stock to better highlight its strong value.” Mr. Malone is the chairman and largest voting shareholder of Liberty Media. The company paid $400 million for the Braves back in 2007, but has seen its value grow big time.
Essentially, Thursday’s announcement means that the Braves will be put up for sale despite Malone having not yet made the announcement.
“According to tax accountants, however, companies with tracking-stock structures have to convert them into asset-backed stocks before the companies can be sold. It appears the Braves’ conversion will happen in 2023. Malone would then have to wait a while to sell, perhaps in 2024, according to analysts,” Forbes report on potential Atlanta Braves sale.
The timeline for a potential sale makes sense in that two other MLB teams in that of the Los Angeles Angels and Washington Nationals are currently on the market. This means Malone and his ownership group could wait to see how everything plays out in an ever-evolving market.