Breaking down the numbers and the timeline of the Mariners' ownership change, including the ballclub's new place among baseball's most valuable franchises.
A roundup of stats and a timeline related to the Mariners’ recent sale.
By the numbers
$1.4 billion
Value of Mariners today
$1.26 billion
Paid for 90 percent share
$641 million
Estimated value of Mariners in 2011
$100 million*
Estimated value of Mariners in 1992
90
Percentage controlled by Stanton’s group
24
Years Nintendo had majority ownership of Mariners
17
Years Howard Lincoln was Mariners CEO
8
Where M’s rank in value among MLB teams after sale
Mariners ownership timeline
April 27, 2016: Nintendo sells majority stake to a minority group led by John Stanton.
July 1, 1992: The Baseball Club of Seattle, backed by Nintendo of America, assumes control. The board of directors includes John Ellis (chairman), Minoru Arakawa, Chris Larson, Howard Lincoln, John McCaw, Frank Shrontz and Craig Watjen. Chuck Armstrong is named President.
Oct. 5, 1989: The Mariners are purchased by a partnership of Jeff Smulyan, Emmis BroadcastÂÂ-ing, Michael Browning and the Morgan Stanley Group Inc. Smulyan assumes the role of chairman. Smulyan later was in talks to move the team to St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jan. 14, 1981: George Argyros becomes principal owner of the Mariners, purchasing majority interest in the club. Argyros may have been best-known for pushing the front office to choose pitcher Mike Harkey over Ken Griffey Jr. in the 1987 draft.
Feb. 6, 1976: The expansion Mariners are owned by partners Stanley Golub, Danny Kaye, Walter Schoenfeld, Lester Smith, James Stillwell Jr. and James A Walsh.
Source: Seattle Mariners and Seattle Times archives
John Stanton at a glance
Full name: John William Stanton
Age: 60
Net worth: Estimated at more than $1 billion
High school: Newport (Bellevue)
Colleges: Whitman (BA) and Harvard (MBA)
Family: Lives in Bellevue with wife Theresa Gillespie, two sons.
Business: Pioneer in wireless industry, where he worked with Craig McCaw to form the first nationwide cellular network in the 1980s. Also led Western Wireless, VoiceStream Wireless. Chairman of the board for Trilogy International Partners investments, and is on the board at Microsoft, Costco and Columbia Sportswear.
Did you know? Stanton is 6 feet 4 … He lost an election for student-body vice president at Whitman, then ran again for president — and won. … Also was a minority owner of the NBA’s Seattle SuperSonics.