Gunnar Henderson Happy to Have Leadership “Wanting to Win World Series as Much as We Do.”  Was this Shade?

Orioles star shortstop Gunnar Henderson might have taken a subtle shot at the previous ownership group after being asked about new owner David Rubenstein.  

The day before opening day, MLB owners unanimously approved the sale of the Baltimore Orioles going to Rubenstein.  He will be replacing Peter Angelos, who passed away last Saturday at the age of 94.  

Peter had been dealing with health issues for several years and gave control of the Orioles to his son John.

Both of them have left a mostly negative legacy behind them due to the team’s limited success during their respective stewardships, but players have been mostly tight-lipped about the ownership.

So, when the usually soft-spoken Henderson talks about having a new owner that cares about winning championships, it might raise an eyebrow or two. 

“You want the leadership to be wanting a World Series as much as we do,” Henderson said about Rubenstein according to MLB.com’s Jake Rill.  “Feel like he has the same mindset.”

It seemed like an innocent exchange about the new future of Baltimore leadership, but it could be seen as shade to the Angelos family considering their reputations.

Peter Angelos had been criticized for being a domineering owner that meddled in day-to-day activities.  He was similar to former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner but with much less success.  

John Angelos had been criticized by fans and national media for not investing into the team.  The Orioles gained a reputation for being cheap, ranking in the bottom five in terms of payroll. 

Although the Angelos family have had their controversies, there were positives to their reign.  

Peter invested a lot of money buying superstar free agents such as Rafael Palmeiro, Miguel Tejada, and Roberto Alomar.  In the 1990s and early 2010s, he invested money into making the Orioles contenders.  It just did not work out.

John did not invest nearly as much as Peter, but under his ownership, the Orioles rebuilt their farm system and signed a long-term deal to keep the team in Baltimore.  Under his leadership, the Orioles were put in position to be competitive for the next decade.

In the end, he gave up leadership to an ownership group that has the financials to make the team perennial contenders.  

Knowing Henderson’s personality, it is very unlikely that he was trying to take shots at the previous ownership, but after a rocky three decades under the helm of the Angelos family, it looks like Baltimore and its players are ready to move on.