Mariners Sold -- but They Won’t Move

Baseball owners today approved the sale of the Seattle Mariners to Indianapolis businessmen Jeff Smulyan and Michael Browning.

“Mr. (George) Argyros is now in a position to complete the sale as soon as he gets some of the financial details completed. We say goodby to Mr. Argyros with considerable affection,” said Fay Vincent, who was named baseball commissioner on Wednesday.

The Mariners, headed for their 13th consecutive losing season, were bought in 1981 by Argyros for $13.1 million. The team was appraised at $76.1 million in June.

Smulyan, a 42-year-old broadcasting magnate, and Browning, a 41-year-old real estate developer, have told baseball officials that they plan to make a winner out of the Mariners in Seattle and won’t try to move the team.

Escape Clause

They inherit a lease at the Kingdome that expires in 1996, but it contains an escape clause that says the Mariners can be moved to another city if they don’t draw 2.8 million in a two-season period.

Vincent, who replaces the late Bart Giamatti, says Smulyan and Browning have promised that they will not move the team. Indianapolis does not have a stadium suitable for major league baseball.

“I don’t think franchises should be moved. In the Seattle case, the people buying assured me and assured Bart they had no intention of moving that team,” Vincent said.

“They gave Bart the assurance they intended to make Seattle a total success. Bart felt strongly about that, and I feel strongly about that.”

Smulyan and Browning will each own 10% of the club, and Emmis Broadcasting Corp., which Smulyan heads, will own 50%.

TV talk show host David Letterman is also a potential investor in the club.