Affiliated baseball may soon return to Frederick

Baseball fans will be very excited about a change that appears to be in the works for a Maryland team.

The Frederick Keys may soon be an affiliate team in the Major League Baseball system, once again.

Team owner Greg Baroni — in a statement about the $39 million renovation that got underway this week at Harry Grove Stadium where the Keys play — said “this investment reinforces our shared commitment to the future of baseball in Frederick and to bringing affiliated baseball back to this incredible community.”

The Keys, along with 41 other teams, were cut from the farm system back in 2021, after being connected to the Baltimore Orioles for 20 years.

The Frederick News Post reports, however, that the team hopes to make an announcement soon, and start the 2026-27 season as an affiliated team.

Baroni told the Post: “We should have an announcement here within the next few months, it could be sooner.”

Which team will the Keys be connected with? That’s still unclear.

According to the team, the stadium renovations are primarily designed to support the Frederick Keys and meet MLB standards, however the team is also exploring ways to use the stadium year-round, offering opportunities for community use during the offseason.

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Kyle Cooper

Weekend and fill-in anchor Kyle Cooper has been with WTOP since 1992. Over those 25 years, Kyle has worked as a street reporter, editor and anchor. Prior to WTOP, Kyle worked at several radio stations in Indiana and at the Indianapolis Star Newspaper.

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