MLB’s Royals Tap Legal Chief for New Role, Hire General Counsel

The Kansas City Royals, a Major League Baseball team in the market for a new stadium, have hired Michael Post as vice president and general counsel.

Post’s move comes more than two years after the Royals recruited Adam Sachs as their first in-house legal chief. Sachs, a former senior counsel at Husch Blackwell, has transitioned to the position of senior vice president and chief external affairs officer for the team, Post said in an email.

In his new role, Sachs will continue to “provide strategic advice and input” on various Royals-related legal matters, Post said. Sachs, who has been a key part of an effort by the Royals to secure partial taxpayer support for a $2 billion stadium upgrade, didn’t respond to a comment request.

Prior to the Royals, Post was an associate general counsel with Crestwood Midstream Partners LP and senior corporate counsel at H&R Block Inc. Crestwood is a natural gas processor whose general partner John Sherman paid $1 billion to buy the Royals in 2019 from former Walmart Inc. CEO David Glass.

Post said he’s “enjoying the opportunity to work with Adam and the rest of the team here,” including Royals president of business operations Brooks Sherman Jr., who isn’t related to the team’s owner. The latter Sherman, however, like Post, also previously worked at Crestwood.

“I enjoyed my time with Crestwood and am ready to dive into this new opportunity,” Post said. He cited some recent player acquisitions by the team’s front office as having him “excited about 2024.”

The Royals finished last in the American League’s Central Division during the 2023 season, the team’s first under manager Matt Quatraro but its second last-place finish in as many years. The Royals overhauled their management after a disappointing 2022 season. The team’s ownership said it needs a new ballpark to replace its current home, 50-year-old Kauffman Stadium.

Around the Horn

Mariners: The Seattle Mariners recently hired Christian Halliburton, a retired professor emeritus at Seattle University School of Law, as an associate general counsel.

Cubs: The Chicago Cubs welcomed aboard former Sidley Austin associate Marina Mehrtens last season as a corporate counsel, filling a role vacated by Shameeka Quallo, who joined the NWSL’s Washington Spirit as their general counsel.

Nationals: The Washington Nationals brought on staff counsel Folasade “Sade” Omogun in November. Omogun, a former assistant counsel and national negotiator with the National Treasury Employees Union, co-founded her own firm, Solace Sports & Entertainment LLC, in 2023 to represent Black female athletes. The Nationals saw associate counsel Michael Scott depart in October. Omogun will work with Nationals general counsel Betsy Philpott and deputy general counsel John Bramlette, who previously worked at Ripken Baseball, a company led by baseball icon Cal Ripken Jr. and his brother, Billy Ripken.

Yankees, Mets: The New York Yankees and New York Mets, who boast two of the top player payrolls in the league, also picked up two ex-Proskauer Rose associates last summer. Proskauer, known for its sports law practice, saw Ross Evans join the Mets as counsel, while Peter Martin took a similar job with the Yankees.

Ripken Baseball: Aberdeen, Md.-based Ripken Baseball, officially known as Sandlot Baseball Holdings LLC, hired former Morgan, Lewis & Bockius associate Michael Campbell to be its general counsel in October. Campbell joined the company after it received an investment from private equity billionaires David Blitzer and Josh Harris, who both have been busy buying sporting assets.