Private investment firm Arctos owns minority stakes in some of the world’s most famous sports teams, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Golden State Warriors, Buffalo Bills and soccer club Paris Saint-Germain. Now it’s also tied to the Akron RubberDucks and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
The company is the anchor investor in Prospector Baseball Group, a recently launched investment platform eager to take over more minor league and independent baseball teams, which have become sought-after assets in recent years.
Financial terms of the Arctos-PBG tie-up have not been announced. Arctos owns a significant stake in PBG, though the group has other investors as well. Founded by veteran sports executive John Abbamondi and tech entrepreneur/investor Ben Boyer, PBG’s first buy was the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball’s Lancaster Stormers this fall. It announced the acquisition of Akron and Jacksonville from Ken Babby last week at an undisclosed price.
Silver Lake-backed Diamond Baseball Holdings has amassed a collection of 48 minor league teams after buying three Houston Astros affiliates last week. It reportedly is limited by an MLB-imposed 50-team cap.
Avenue Capital-backed OnDeck Partners, meanwhile, recently scooped up the Montgomery Biscuits and the Visalia Rawhide.
By owning multiple clubs, the investment groups can centralize certain functions, benefit from economies of scale and trade best practices internally. Minor league teams typically make the bulk of their revenue from ticketing, sponsorships and merchandise. The 120 MiLB teams collectively drew more than 30 million visitors in 2025, with gear sales growing of late. Buyers often also see an opportunity to better utilize ballparks on non-gamedays. Teams have reportedly sold for $10 million to $100 million in recent years.
“Everything starts with the quality of the market and the team’s relationship in the market, and then the quality of the facility,” Abbamondi said.
Arctos brings its connections throughout the sports industry and the data and experience it has collected while investing in teams and leagues throughout the world. Its baseball investments also include equity in the Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox parent company Fenway Sports Group. Private capital group KKR is in talks to acquire Arctos, Financial Times reported earlier this month.
“We have a value creation platform here that is dedicated to serving sports teams in all of the revenue line items that matter,” Arctos partner Alastair Seaman said. “And while this is more of a local live entertainment business and community asset than it is a sports team, per se, a lot of those capabilities are going to be directly applicable to the minor leagues.”
Seaman said Arctos’ interest in minor league baseball dates to its participation alongside Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé in the 2022 acquisition of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats and their home, Sutter Health Park, for a reported $90 million. Abbamondi said new leads have come from current team owners testing the market as well as outbound check-ins with clubs who have yet to express a desire to sell.
Boyer previously said PBG could own up to 15 baseball teams, building on the three it has today.
“There’s a chance we acquire more teams before Opening Day,” Abbamondi said.