How Catie Griggs is reshaping the business side of the Orioles

Intentionality.

Catie Griggs repeated the word, in various forms, four times during the first two minutes of a conversation about the Orioles’ efforts to analyze, restructure and improve their business operations department. Griggs, who was hired by Baltimore over the summer to lead the organization as the president of business operations, said her entire goal comes back to that word.

She envisions a deliberate approach in multiple areas, be it upgrades to Camden Yards, ticket sales, in-game experience or the future of Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. It will take a holistic view, an organization rowing in the same direction, and the trust of new hires and the old guard alike to turn the Orioles into Griggs’ vision.

“It’s about intentionality,” Griggs said in a phone conversation. “What are the things that we can do to more intentionally engage more of our community, to welcome fans back who, for whatever reason, haven’t been coming for the last bit? How do we make sure this is an environment where everyone who is a fan, is wearing a hat, is wearing gear, that they actually want to make their way downtown?”

Winning helps.

This season, when the Orioles made the playoffs for the second straight year, Baltimore’s attendance surpassed 2 million fans for the first time since 2017. That shows progress, even if the 2,281,129 fans to attend games at Camden Yards this year left the Orioles’ attendance total at 19th out of 30 teams.

Winning, then, only does so much. As Griggs oversees the health of the organization, she realizes the prices, food and ballpark experience at large play as much of a role in bringing fans downtown. At some point, once the Orioles and the state negotiate and seal a ground lease around Camden Yards, the historic stadium as a destination may be even more front and center.

Here’s that word again.

“It comes back to that word, intentionality,” Griggs said. “We’ve got an incredible ballpark. Camden Yards is one of the iconic ballparks — and I would argue one of the iconic sports venues in the U.S. So, it’s an amazing place to start from, but we also recognize that in certain places, it’s a little antiquated, and we’re incredibly fortunate to now be at a point where we can figure out how we can protect all the incredible parts of Camden Yards but also look at opportunities to create experiences inside the ballpark that will connect with more fans.”

That process of redevelopment — during which the Orioles can use up to $600 million in state bonds to rejuvenate the ballpark — will begin with subtle changes in 2025 before more major overhauls are introduced for 2026.

The Maryland Stadium Authority approved a $135 million plan for the first series of upgrades, including a video board and sound system, on Oct. 1. The plan will be presented in November to Maryland’s Board of Public Works — comprised of Gov. Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck Davis and Comptroller Brooke Lierman — and, if approved, the first bond issuance would be in December.

Griggs said the video board would arrive for 2026. “It’s one of those things that feels like it should be easy to do more, but it’s generally more challenging,” Griggs said. The time needed to purchase and install a new video board, she said, will take a year or more.

“Audio, similarly, a comprehensive solution is in the works for 2026,” Griggs said. “However, we are working to see what, if anything, we can put into place as an interim improvement for ’25, so that’s a work in progress. But any time we have an opportunity to find a way to make the experience better for our fans, we’re looking to do so.”

Griggs hinted at some experiential differences for 2025, but didn’t elaborate on the exact details.

She said one limitation of Camden Yards — despite all the positives — is that the concourses are closed off from the playing field. Without those sightlines, she said, the business operations department is pondering ways to improve fan experiences while they wait in concession lines, and they hope to implement some solutions for 2025.

As part of the build-up to Grigg’s vision, the organization is hiring for a slew of openings: chief financial officer, chief revenue officer, chief marketing officer, chief human resources officer, senior vice president of strategy and innovation, and general counsel.. The Orioles also shifted longtime executive Greg Bader to oversee MASN.

Griggs, who began her management career with the Major League Soccer club Atlanta United before moving to MLB’s Seattle Mariners, said the decision to add those positions comes from her belief in putting knowledgeable people in place and letting them flourish. Griggs said “underinvestment” in certain areas or a need for new thinking prompted the positions to open.

But she isn’t looking for change just for change’s sake.

“Take advantage of all the legacy knowledge, but complement it with outside perspective that allows us to think differently and find a way to straddle what’s the best way for us to move forward,” Griggs said. “It’s not necessarily where we’ve been, but it’s also not necessarily different.”

By moving Bader to oversee MASN, Griggs said, the network gains an executive who reports directly to her and who can serve as an intermediary with the Washington Nationals. The MASN deal, as ever, is a point of contention. The network was created to pacify then-owner Peter Angelos when the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, and the Orioles own the majority stake.

But even in a “tumultuous” time for regional sports networks, with the financially struggling Diamond Sports Group proposing to drop the broadcasts of 11 MLB teams, Griggs said she has confidence in MASN’s positioning and the ability to “maintain a successful working relationship with the Nationals” as the network continues to broadcast games for both clubs.

When asked about the possibility of adding a direct-to-consumer streaming option, Griggs noted that there are “some real structural challenges with the way things are set up today that we are working through, in terms of the relationships that you have with distributors and how those contracts are structured.”

MASN became available on the streaming service Fubo before the 2024 season. But for the most part, the network is only available on traditional cable packages — and it was moved to a pricier package on Comcast.

Griggs is juggling it all in her role as president of business operations, but it’s also why she’s adding individuals to the ranks. Similarly with how Baltimore’s ownership group of David Rubenstein, Michael Arougheti and others treat Griggs in her role, she envisions a collaborative group leading the Orioles forward.

She said the ownership team has set a “strategic North Star” and erected certain guardrails for the business operations team to follow. But there’s not micromanagement, from Griggs or the owners.

“I believe strongly in putting good, smart people together and setting them up to do what they do, and do very, very well,” Griggs said.

And it will all come back to one word: intentionality. If they are deliberate in their process, Griggs said, the Orioles will best serve their interests and the interests of their fans.