We still have a couple more weeks of meaningful football to digest, but baseball is right around the corner. I sat outside yesterday, cleaned my golf clubs, and smoked some ribs while listening to music. A luxury usually reserved for May and beyond back home in Chicago. It was gorgeous. It also felt highly fitting on an afternoon when significant baseball news broke.

On Tuesday, Baltimore Orioles owner Jerry Angelos agreed to sell his baseball club to two private equity billionaires — David Rubenstein of the Carlyle Group and Mike Arougheti of Ares Management Corporation — for $1.725 billion, according to multiple reports.

Rubenstein, a Baltimore native, is set to acquire a professional sports franchise pending approval from Major League Baseball and the other 29 owners. This comes after exploring deals for two D.C. teams, the Washington Commanders (which was sold to a group led by Josh Harris) and the Washington Nationals, who remain for sale if a suitable offer is made. Initially, Rubenstein will assume a 40 percent stake in the team.

However, he will eventually take full control of the team upon the passing of the current owner, 94-year-old Peter Angelos. Angelos has expressed his desire for his family to sell the team after his passing, as has his wife, Georgia. Angelos became the majority owner of the MLB franchise in 1993 when he purchased it from Eli Jacobs with a group of investors for $173 million.

Baltimore fans should be ecstatic. Angelos has forced the Orioles to operate on a paper-thin budget for some time, even now, despite the team’s success in 2023 and their top-ranked farm system. A new owner likely means that an increased payroll is on the way. It’s probably too late this year in the offseason to make much of a difference. Still, the sale could significantly impact trade deadline acquisitions, extensions for youngsters, and following winter’s free agency class.

Rob Manfred’s blessing is the latest on the White Sox new stadium reports

Seeing the O’s sell today made me — as a White Sox fan — pretty frustrated. Sox fans have been begging Jerry Reinsdorf to sell the team for years, and it seems like he has zero intention of selling the team even though it’s widely speculated that his son Michael has no interest in keeping the White Sox once his father passes. Michael currently runs the Chicago Bulls.

But, it was reported recently that Reinsdorf and the White Sox are exploring a new stadium for the White Sox. Those talks gained some steam this week after MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred gave the idea his blessing.

In an interview with Crain's, Manfred stated that he has been well-informed about the team's potential move and believes it could be a "game changer". He praised the stadium's location, which is close to downtown and offers numerous entertainment options and easy transportation.

Manfred also mentioned that there would be no need for new taxes if the move were to happen, as Jerry Reinsdorf has assured him. That’s an incredibly important detail in all of this, one that makes this seem like a very realistic idea.

Manfred supported the idea, saying a new facility could transform the White Sox. Earlier this month, reports emerged that the White Sox are considering building a new stadium on a piece of land in the South Loop called "The 78". The move would take place after the expiration of the team's lease at Guaranteed Rate Field, which ends after the 2029 season.

The White Sox have been playing at Guaranteed Rate Field, formerly U.S. Cellular Field and Comiskey Park II, since 1991. Before that, they played at Comiskey Park from 1910 to 1990. The team has been based on the South Side, with the stadiums located in the Armour Square community area.

The team also has strong ties to the Bridgeport neighborhood. If the move to The 78 were to happen, it would mark the first time that the White Sox have left their longtime community, shifting the team to a plot of land in the South Loop bordered by Roosevelt Road, the Chicago River, Clark Street, and train tracks near Ping Tom Park. Wells Street would run through the planned development.

In other stadium news, the Tropicana in Las Vegas will officially close in April, making way for the demolition process on the site of the eventual home of the Athletics.

The Tropicana Las Vegas, a well-known landmark in Las Vegas for over 60 years, is set to close in spring to make way for the construction of the ballpark scheduled to house the Athletics.

The stadium will be the new home of the Oakland Athletics team, who are relocating to Las Vegas. Bally's Corp. has announced the closure of the Tropicana on April 2, just days before the hotel's 67th anniversary. This marks the beginning of preparations for demolishing the resort on the Las Vegas Strip.

The Tropicana was considered the "Tiffany of the Strip" when it opened in 1957. It had three stories, 300 rooms, and a $15 million price tag. The planned site of the old Tropicana will now be home to a 30,000-seat ballpark with a retractable roof. All MLB owners approved the A's move to Las Vegas in November.

Bally's President George Papanier states that the ballpark plans represent a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." In a statement, the company said that it looks forward to developing a new resort and ballpark that will become a new landmark while paying homage to the iconic history and global appeal of Las Vegas, which attracts nearly 50 million visitors annually.

The ballpark is expected to open in 2028, backed by $380 million in public funding. It will be situated near the homes of the NFL's Vegas Raiders, who left Oakland in 2020, and the NHL's Golden Knights, who won the Stanley Cup last year in their sixth season. Bally's has stated that it will not accept hotel bookings after April 2 and will relocate any customers who reserve past the closing date.

Yesterday’s Best

CHICAGO BEARS

• Jaylon Johnson’s breakout season continues to get the love it deserves, this time from Pro Football Focus.

• The Bears hired former Panthers OC Thomas Brown as their new passing game coordinator.

• The Lions will hold onto OC Ben Johnson for at least one more season after he informed the Seahawks and Commanders that he’s staying in Detroit.

CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

• Tab took a look at some potential Blackhawks targets in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft on Tuesday.

CHICAGO BULLS

• The latest on the NBA rumor mill from Eli over at BN Bulls …

CHICAGO CUBS

• Guess who’s the odds-on favorite to win the NL Central, at least according to one sportsbook.

• The Cubs and Giants are among potential Matt Chapman landing spots.

What’s on deck?

The Bulls are back in action tonight in Charlotte. Their contest with the Hortnets starts at 6 PM CT and can be seen on NBC Sports Chicago.