Ponies President Sobotka Assures Fans Team is Staying in Binghamton

Binghamton Rumble Ponies owner, David Sobokta, has agreed to sell the team to Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH), a private holding company that owns over 30 minor-league baseball teams. Sobotka is assuring this move will keep the Ponies in Binghamton. 

"One of the first questions that we addressed when we started talking with Diamond was the team staying in Binghamton," Sobotka said. "And that was a bottom-line requirement and Diamond was 100% on board with the team being here, appreciates the history of baseball in Binghamton and also understands that the Mets are happy here and all the investments they've gone into the stadium."

DBH is a private ownership group that is rapidly purchasing MiLB franchises. The Ponies are the fourth team bought in 2024 which gives DBH their 33rd MiLB franchise. According to the Athletic, of the 33 minor league teams that DBH owns, only two have plans to be relocated under their management. 

Sobotka would not disclose the details of the sale, but did say that day-to-day operations will remain local and the fan experience will be equal or likely grow after the sale.

"Our staff will remain intact, today, we announced the appointment of Richard Tylicki, who has been interim general manager as a full-time permanent general manager," Sobotka said. "And I think that's just a sign of the commitment to our local staff. Everyone will stay. I think the staff will grow under Diamond, which will be a good thing in terms of the baseball and the fan experience. I think it will be the same or better over time."

Another potential perk Sobotka sees is DBH's connection within the sports and entertainment world.

"I think the big difference that you may see with Diamond is non-baseball events," Sobotka said. "With having more clout, owning more teams, controlling more venues, they are a more attractive partner for music acts or other entertainment acts. And so I think Binghamton could be a real beneficiary of this... I think the benefits for the Rumble Ponies and for their fans is that we get to share information with many, many other teams so that we can really refine how we approach all aspects of the business of baseball and the fan experience. Because now we have a laboratory with 34 experiments going on instead of one. So if we see that something works really well in Portland, Maine, then we say, Well, why don't we try that? Or if something didn't work, well in Oklahoma City, then we can say, well, maybe that's not such a great idea. So I think that it's going to really elevate the fan experience and going to elevate our thought process because we will be able to draw on the shared experience of so many teams."

Sobotka said DBH representatives have toured the facilities and are impressed with their findings.

"I think when they walked around the stadium and seen the facility, they've been very, very impressed," Sobotka said. "So they're happy, happy with the package that's been delivered to them... Representatives from Diamond have been here and done the walk around as part of their due diligence and have remarked about what a beautiful stadium it is."

David Sobotka and Karen Sobotka will remain as President and Vice President of the Rumble Ponies throughout the transition.

"They do appreciate the local nature of minor league baseball," Sobotka said. "The people that control Diamond have grown up in minor league baseball and understand that every market is different and that what works in one place wouldn't necessarily work in Binghamton. And they have reiterated over and over again to us that they're going to be leaving the local part to us, that what promotions we want to run, how we want to run the stadium, that's really what we're here for and they're here to lend us support."

Sobotka has owned the Binghamton Rumble Ponies for each of the last two seasons. The Binghamton Rumble Ponies are the Double-A affiliate of the New York Mets.