Larry Lucchino, the former Boston Red Sox president and current chairman and principal owner of the Worcester Red Sox, said this week he plans to sell the Triple-A franchise.

“I’m now 78, I’ve been at this for over 40 years, so it’s time to sell this team and to move on to blissful retirement,” said Lucchino, speaking to former Boston sports anchors Bob Lobel and Mike Lynch on the “UnAnchored Boston” podcast.

Lucchino has owned the WooSox since 2015, when he led a group that purchased the then-Pawtucket Red Sox for $25 million. Under his ownership the franchise relocated from Pawtucket, Rhode Island to Worcester and opened the brand new Polar Park in 2021.

If Lucchino does sell, the WooSox will become the third Red Sox affiliate to change hands in the past two years. The Portland Sea Dogs (Double-A) and Salem Red Sox (Low-A) were both recently acquired by Diamond Baseball Holdings, a well-financed upstart that has quickly become the largest owner of minor league franchises in the country since its creation in 2021.

As of this writing DBH owns 26 minor league affiliates nation-wide, which represents more than one-fifth of all MLB affiliates. The WooSox would presumably be of great interest to DBH or another large conglomerate like it, but Lucchino indicated his preference is to find a local owner with strong ties to the Worcester community.

“We’ve been talking to various people for many months trying to find a local owner who would step up,” Lucchino said. “I think it’s something that’s been going on for some time, but whether it happens in the next six weeks or six months or six years remains to be seen.”

The club’s potential sale will no doubt be a topic of discussion at next month’s MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville.