Entering what ownership has called a “big year†for the club on the field and just as sizeable for the club in the seats and on the television, the Cardinals announced Wednesday the hiring of a highly regarded Blue Jays executive to lead their business operations.
Anuk Karunaratne has been hired as the Cardinals’ new senior vice president for business operations. In that role, Karunaratne will lead corporate sales, marketing and game-day entertainment as well as guiding the team’s business analytics and strategic planning initiatives. Karunaratne will also oversee the team’s broadcast partnership, taking over at a time when Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest’s parent company is trying to emerge from bankruptcy court thanks to an investment lifeline from Amazon that could shape rights fees and fans’ access to games for the next several years.
Karunaratne, 40, spent six years in St. Louis while earning a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Washington University and serving as a research assistant for the university’s medical school.
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He was working in Boston when he learned about an opportunity with the Toronto Blue Jays. A native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Karunaratne spent the past seven years with the Blue Jays, rising from a senior vice president role working in strategy and analytics to, most recently, being Toronto’s executive vice president for baseball operations. His work in that role earned Karunaratne a mention on ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Business Journal’s list of “Forty Under 40.†He was credited with enhancing the fan experience at the Blue Jays’ renovated ballpark as well as guiding the organization and its operations through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Karunaratne helped the Blue Jays through the 2021 season, when they played games at three different venues in three different cities due to COVID-related policies.
“He brings that curiosity to our business today, asking questions that challenge our teams to continuously improve,†Toronto team president Mark Shapiro . “Anuk’s thoughtful curiosity stood out during his interview process — he asked intelligent questions throughout that demonstrated his openness to learning and collaborating.â€
With the Cardinals, Karunaratne will take on many of the responsibilities last handled by Dan Farrell. The longtime Cardinals executive retired this past season after four decades with the club.
“While he will have big shoes to fill in taking on the many responsibilities that Dan Farrell held in his 40-plus years with the Cardinals, Anuk comes to us with a wealth of experience and success in both business and baseball,†Cardinals team president Bill DeWitt III said in a statement.
The Cardinals used search firm TurnkeyZRG to identify and review candidates through what became an international search.
The Cardinals are almost midway through a 15-year, $1.1 billion broadcast agreement with Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest that also included an ownership stake for the team in their broadcast partner. Bally’s parent company, Diamond ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Group, has pledged to make its payment for 2024 to the Cardinals and broadcast games as scheduled. Earlier this month, Diamond ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Group announced an agreement with Amazon that would see it out of bankruptcy and back into the broadcast business. If approved, that agreement would keep the Cardinals’ agreement with Bally intact.
That agreement, however, does not include the Cardinals’ streaming rights, and those will be a major part of upcoming discussions and broadcast decisions for the club.