The Nationals announced today that the player development contracts (PDC) for Syracuse, Harrisburg, and Auburn have all been extended two years, aligning four of its top five affiliates through 2014. Potomac’s PDC, which was extended in 2010, is also through 2014.
Hagerstown’s PDC expires at the end of this season. While a bid by Winchester has recently fallen flat, it would appear that the interested parties are still in talks, enough to not join in on this announcement.
As reported earlier this offseason, Kinston N.C. has recently lost its PDC with Cleveland and is currently vacant, while the Atlanta Braves have recently made an agreement to purchase the Lynchburg Hillcats and there has been talk of relocating them to Wilmington, N.C. The deal, however, requires a new facility and for the city of Lynchburg to receive another tenant. Given those two requirements, it’s likely to happen in conjunction for the next affiliate “merry-go-round” in 2014 (most PDCs are for two or four years and are typically negotiated in even years, as we reported in 2010).