The Battle Creek team was affiliated with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, but that agreement has expired.
Five major league teams are still looking for a minor league affiliation at that level, and one of those is the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Dodgers are one of the most respected and revered franchises in all of sports. The organization is not renewing it's affiliate agreement with a minor league team in Georgia, and may have its eye on the new franchise in Midland.
Why the Dodgers? you may ask.
Former major league manager Terry Collins is a Midland native and currently happens to be in charge of player development for a baseball organization's minor league system. That organization is the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has a big say on where it's Low A minor league affiliate agreement will go, and at the top of his list is Midland.
The Dodgers in the MWL would be pretty cool. According to mwlguide.com, the Dodgers haven't been in the Midwest League since 1979, when they were the Clinton Dodgers.
The other story from Ballpark Digest has to do with where Timber Rattler alums may be playing next season at the Double-A level; BayBears' options are down to three.
The Mobile BayBears will play baseball at Hank Aaron Stadium again in 2007. But the team that will supply the BayBears with players won't be known for a few more days.
Mobile could wind up staying with the San Diego Padres, or become an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks or Seattle Mariners, as those are the available teams.
The Chicago Cubs -- mentioned in recent months as a possible new affiliate for the BayBears -- signed a new two-year deal Thursday with the Tennessee Smokies. The Cubs were affiliated with West Tenn.
"We talked with all four clubs -- the Padres, Mariners, Diamondbacks and Cubs -- about a possible affiliation," said BayBears president Bill Shanahan. "We have ongoing dialogue with the three clubs remaining and sometime next week we'll make a decision on what major league team the BayBears will be affiliated with in 2007."
A quick link without any excerpts about the Indians moving back to the Cactus League for Spring Training; It's official: Indians agree to Grapefruit League move
Now, Major League is back to being an accurate representation of Indians Spring Training.
No comments:
Post a Comment