Jacksonville City Council to review measure approving sale of MiLB Jumbo Shrimp franchise

Jacksonville’s beloved Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team franchise, the Jumbo Shrimp, is for sale. And the City Council will consider a resolution to see if it approves the transaction.

The 19-member council will consider a resolution on the proposed sale of the team by current owner Ken Babby. The key element the city is concerned with is the lease deal with the franchise for the use of the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville. That stadium is known as VyStar Ballpark, which was contracted for the name by Jacksonville-based VyStar Credit Union.

The Jumbo Shrimp are the farm club for the Miami Marlins.

While no formal announcement of the new buyer of the Jumbo Shrimp has been made by franchise officials, the Sports Business Journal reported Tuesday morning that Prospector Baseball Group has acquired the team in Jacksonville. There was no disclosed price, but Prospector is owned by Ben Boyer, a technology entrepreneur, and John Abbamondi, an executive with extensive experience in professional sports.

The resolution is set to go before the Jacksonville City Council Tuesday night at their regular weekly meeting.

Babby has advanced to become CEO of the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp resolution states, “The team has entered into an agreement whereby, upon closing, a buyer will acquire all equity of the Jacksonville Club (Jumbo Shrimp). The transaction is structured as a sale of equity interests; therefore, there is no direct assignment of the agreement, and the Jacksonville Club will remain a party to the agreement under its current name.”

Babby has advanced quickly in the baseball world. He is also owner of the Akron RubberDucks in Ohio, a AA franchise in MiLB, which is an affiliate of the MLB Cleveland Guardians. Babby shifted to CEO of the Rays and is now heavily involved in discussions for hammering out a stadium deal and location for the team to play on the Gulf Coast.

Babby bought the Jacksonville franchise from previous owner Peter Bragan Jr. in 2015 when the team was named the Jacksonville Suns, a moniker that was steady for decades. Babby changed the name to Jumbo Shrimp in November 2016.

The sale of the Jacksonville franchise comes after a momentous year. The team captured the AAA MiLB International League Championship in September.