Offseason Update: Nov. 11, 2020
News about the forthcoming MiLB reorganization continues to trickle out.
Like Burger King setting up shop across from McDonald’s, the Mets followed the Yankees in announcing their 2021 affiliates. And while it’s oh-so-tempting to make fun of the Mets doing Mets things (e.g. omitting key details as to the levels and leagues), the truth is probably that MLB is still in the process of raping realigning.
The Columbia Fireflies joined the Charleston Riverdogs on the sidelines, as the St. Lucie Mets (not coincidentally, owned by the Mets) will be their Low-A affiliate in the Florida State League. What’s not clear is which team will be the new High-A affiliate.
The Binghamton Rumble Ponies, who were on the initial “hit list,” have apparently been spared losing affiliation, but it’s not clear whether they’ll stick in AA or become the new High-A affiliate.
That’s because the Brooklyn Cyclones (also not coincidentally, owned by the Mets) have long been rumored to take the AA slot.
As noted in the comments, the S.F. Giants are reportedly being told—note the italics—they will be losing their affiliates in the Sally League (Augusta) and the Eastern League (Richmond).
Why the italics? Because, according to Ballpark Digest, it’s MLB assigning Player Development Licenses to MiLB teams for MLB teams and not MiLB teams negotiating with MLB teams for affiliation.
This is bigger than Oprah because it means the MiLB teams have zero leverage, whereas before they could play one team off the other every couple of years or so and have a fallback, thanks to both a limited number of teams becoming available and a set number of teams with affiliation.
Apparently, not every MLB team is happy with these assignments. Some west coast MLB teams would rather have their High-A teams on the East Coast or the Midwest than play in the far-flung Northwest League, for example.
Finally, the predicted return of the Nats’ AAA affiliation to the East Coast took one step closer with the separation of Rochester from the Twins.
Presuming that the ‘burgs (Harris and Fredericks) remain at the same level, though perhaps not the same league, the real unknown remains the new home of the Nats’ Low-A team. I’m personally rooting for Frederick because it’s drivable, it’s a decent facility, and if the Sally League still has a northern component, it’d be right off the beaten path.
But now I have to concede that Richmond may be possible, too. Though I still do not understand the obsession some Nats fans have, given it requires braving traffic on I-95 from the DC area and the facility is, to quote more than one reviewer “like a chunk out of old Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta.”
If this realignment resulted in the Nationals getting:
Low A: Fredericksburg
High A: Frederick
AA: Harrisburg
AAA: Richmond
This whole fiasco wouldn’t have been altogether awful. It gives 2 teams for Nats fans north of the district and two south of the district. But this might be a bit optimistic, as Richmond are currently a AA team. However, their stadium is perfectly big enough to field a AAA team, with a capacity of 9-12,000, exactly in line with most IL stadiums, and would fit right in in the IL South with Norfolk, Charlotte, Durham and Gwinnett.
Then again, this would actually make sense. And nothing so far about the MiLB realignment/contraction has been logical.
This is what I’m eyeballing as well. Note, however, that Frederick and Bowie share an ownership group, so I’m not sure how realistic that prospect is if the Orioles continue to affiliate with the Baysox.
The big question that is outstanding to me with the realignment is exactly how they’re planning to divide the current Class-A teams south of the Mason-Dixon line. There are a whole lot of teams between Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia (plus Jersey Shore) that will need to be split up among at least two, possibly three circuits.
One way or another, the Orioles are going to have to dump one of their Maryland teams. They have Bowie, Delmarva, Aberdeen and Frederick. For whatever reasons, to date, Frederick seems to be the team to have drawn the shortstick. That could change, and honestly I’d be just as content for the Nats to acquire Aberdeen or Delmarva too, if the Orioles changed their minds.
I guess there’s a scenario where the Orioles manage to convince the powers that be to make Bowie a AAA team, and Frederick a AA team, but that seems unlikely since the Orioles have been content so far to leave the Keys hanging out to dry.
Bowie could move up to Triple-A, as it does meet the stadium requirements. But the reporting I’ve seen strongly suggests that the Low-A South Atlantic League will shift to the south, out of Maryland, so Baltimore would still likely have to give up at least one of those affiliations. Aberdeen isn’t going anywhere, I don’t think, since it’s owned by Cal Ripken Jr.
Also, and I didn’t know this: Norfolk is owned by the same group that also owns Bowie and Frederick. That would certainly seem to put a damper on a Triple-A berth for Bowie, and if Bowie stays at Double-A, then Frederick either stays at High-A or it’s dropped. Certainly the prevailing wisdom is that it will be dropped, which I think would be very unfortunate.
I’m kicking around a whole bunch of scenarios, but here’s one I’ve got:
MID-ATLANTIC LEAGUE (A+): Aberdeen, Brooklyn, Delmarva, Frederick, Jersey Shore, Hudson Valley, Tri-City, Wilmington
CAROLINA LEAGUE (A+): Carolina, Charleston, Columbia, Down East, Fayetteville, Myrtle Beach
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE (A-): Asheville, Augusta, Fredericksburg, Greensboro, Greenville, Hickory, Kannapolis, Lynchburg, Rome, Salem, West Virginia, Winston-Salem
The new league would be Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and New York. The reformatted Carolina League would be South Carolina and eastern North Carolina. The South Atlantic League would stretch from Virginia and West Virginia to the South Carolina/Georgia state line. The territories of the Carolina and South Atlantic leagues overlap somewhat, but the math dovetails with this report: https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/11/02/details-of-mlb-takeover-of-milb-emerge/
Frederick’s position here is precarious and basically depends on whether it could become a Nats (or maybe Pirates) affiliate. If there’s no team that wants it, I think Norwich (which wasn’t on the original kill list) could fit into that league instead, although it would be somewhat of a geographic outlier to the north and it draws poorly, and its parent club in Detroit would likely prefer to keep West Michigan as its High-A team.
Will — I would flip Fredericksburg and Frederick in your dream scenario, with F’burg staying high-A. They made a lot of promises to get a stadium built there, and immediate relegation might not sit to well with the locals. I know Frederick was in the same Carolina League with Potomac, but if you’ve been threatened with the Grim Reaper, a reprieve to low-A might not seem so bad.
I think having a local affiliation might be what Richmond needs to get funding for stadium upgrades. Just as long as they have a short memory and forget about all the upgrades they paid for to support training camp for the Washington Landovers.
Location, location, location. Fredericksburg is a better geographic fit for a Low-A South Atlantic League given that we know teams like Aberdeen and Jersey Shore are expected to end up in a High-A Mid-Atlantic League.
It’s basically six of one, half a dozen of the other anyway. They’re both A-ball levels. All but the most hardcore fans won’t even know the difference.
It’s also worth noting that they may finally do away with the A-designation system too. So whatever we call “Low A” in the future may not be as pejorative as it is now. To me, it would make sense to rename AAA to A, AA to B, High A to C, Low A to D, and rookie ball to E or F. But a numbered system or another moniker, like rookie/freshman/sophomore/junior/senior or some new logic (Jack/Queen/King/Ace?) would also be fine.
Secondly, the whole MiLB hierarchy will be shaken up anyway, doing away with an entire level of baseball. The talent at “the league formerly known as Low A” will be significantly higher quality, as it will contain the best talent from shortened season ball and low A.
With that said, if you switch the FNats and Keys in the above hierarchy, that also doesn’t make much of a difference to me.
Anyone who thinks Richmond is a good idea has never bee there. Just a drive by shows how bad a shape it is.
No crying for Hagerstown. In 2019 of the 160 Milb teams Hagerstown was 151st in attendance with average of 908.
Strange how there are rumors of Fredericksburg being relegated to Low A. What, based on their attendance in 2020?
I care very little about the fan experience, since I won’t be going to any AAA games. What I care about is having a team close to DC, so that the club doesn’t have to bend over backwards to accommodate call ups. If it helps extend the Nats fanbase, then that’s a bonus! If the team has a sparkling, new facility, even better!
But the fact of the matter is that any “good” AAA clubs are already claimed by an MLB team. Rochester, Fresno, Nashville, etc. all have their own warts. So give me the one that’s a 2 hour drive from Nats Park.
This is probably closest to how the Nats front office thinks as well. But the things that MLB claims that it wants — improved player/coach facilities — behooves these stadiums to be fan-friendly in order to generate the kind of revenue that would pay for these amenities. What I have a serious problem with is how MLB refuses to pay for these things and wants to shift the cost when it can damn well pay for these things. One less Trevor Rosenthal in one year would pay for all that they want.
As I said: FXB fits better geographically with other teams in Virginia, West Virginia, and points south that are likely to end up in Low-A. It’s just a numbers game.
One of the wrinkles of the AAA location is that Mark Lerner has in-laws living in Rochester.
If someone in Richmond is willing to build a decent stadium that would make it a great choice.
One potential advantage of Richmond though is tapping into a new territory that should be part of the Nationals’ home territory. Southern Virginia has historically been Braves territory, in large part because Richmond hosted the Braves’ AA team for over four decades and TBS, or even O’s territory because of Norfolk. With the Braves and TBS gone, the region is ripe for a team like the Nationals to add a million fans to their base.
No Rochesterian is going to be so moved by the Nats’ AAA players that they’ll travel to DC to watch games and buy merchandise, but Richmonders might.
That may sound good in theory, but as any who’s read/followed Neil deMause knows, it just doesn’t add up. Most of the MLB attendance comes from within a fairly small radius — 75/100 miles depending on the metro area. I doubt very much that folks from Scranton, PA make the same drive to NY to see the Yankees. Or if you’re of the belief that the affiliation makes that much difference (hint: it doesn’t), from Columbus to Cleveland (and then, how you tell apart people inspired by the AAA team vs. Indians fans who would have gone anyway).
The idea that a Richmond affiliate may influence higher TV ratings is more intriguing. This is where the money really is in MLB. Unfortunately, the Nats have never cared to put together a winning team at AAA, which might not put butts in the seats — though the Flying Squirrels do a very good job in Pfitzner South: 2nd most attendance the E.L. in 2019 — but if they were a little more competitive it might create an incremental interest in tuning into MASN (fingers crossed they’re not familiar with what a good announcing team sounds like).
Just pointing out that Richmond is almost exactly 100 miles from DC, putting it right on the periphery of a potential fan zone. The northern neighborhoods/suburbs of Richmond would then be fairly well within the zone. Granted, a big chunk of Richmond’s northern metropolitan area is covered now by the P-Nats relocation to Fredericksburg. However, it is, to date, a big space for potential fanbase expansion.
If I were the Lerners, I’d be jumping all over this opportunity in the MiLB shake up to shore up central/southern Virginia as part of the Nationals “territory”. With the Maryland suburbs comparatively smaller/less populous than Virginia’s and split pretty evenly with the Orioles, there’s only marginal additional gains to be made there. But Richmond is historically/culturally/geographically distinct from the DC metro area, so you won’t have too many Richmonders naturally allying themselves with DC teams, as those in Woodbridge would. But with a little outreach and courting, I think there’s a pretty significant potential fanbase to tap into.
Anyway, I think I’ve spilled enough words about a very unlikely scenario of 1) the Giants dropping Richmond, then 2) the Nationals adding them, then 3) Richmond getting promoted to the IL. Given how little importance the Lerners and Rizzo have spent on the Nationals’ farm set up, I’m expecting we’ll get whatever AAA team is leftover after everyone else selects, and get stuck with another team in the PCL.
I don’t think it’s all that unlikely, actually, given that we already know at least some Triple-A teams are being promoted/demoted. For instance, it’s been widely reported that Jacksonville will move up to Triple-A and that Fresno will move down to Low-A. There have also been whispers that Wichita will (before even playing a game) be bumped down to Double-A, and some rumors of Tacoma being bumped down to High-A.
All this talk of realignment keeps us from remembering how great it is that Harrisburg is still the Nats AA team.
What a great place to watch a game, its like they’re playing just for you. Also, that 2 hour drive is less stressful than the 1 hour drive to Fredericksburg.
True. Until the new Fburg stadium opens, it’s also the only good franchise in the Nats farm system. All this talk of the Orioles has me appreciating how logical and geographically sensible their farm system is. If only we had more Harrisburgs and fewer Fresnos…
But why would you be going to Fredericksburg at 2 a.m. on a Tuesday? 😉
Reminds me of the study done last year to identify the worst stretches of the Interstate system.
#1 for worst was from the Washington beltway to Fredericksburg. For most of us, no surprise.
Pieces falling into place with MassLive.com reporting tonight that the Lowell Spinners may be the sixth and final team constituting the new Mid-Atlantic League, the others being Hudson Valley, Jersey Shore, Brooklyn, Aberdeen, and Wilmington.
Weird setup here as the Northwest League is expected to contract to six teams and the configuration for the Low-A leagues is supposed to be, per Ballpark Digest: California League (8), Florida State League (10), and South Atlantic League (12). So that likely means six-team Mid-Atlantic, Northwest, and Carolina leagues in High-A along with a twelve-team Midwest League. Kind of strange.
I wonder if the Nationals would be in Wilmington in that scenario, with Fredericksburg dropping down to Low-A (a drop you’ve speculated about)? I’ve heard that Myrtle Beach will drop in classification to Low-A and stay a Cubs affiliate.
A Pirates beat writer also reported that they’re keeping both of their A teams, Bradenton and Greensboro. Since the FSL (Bradenton) is moving to Low-A, I guess that means Greensboro would move to High A. That’s probably also bad news for West Virginia, as they really only make sense as a Pirates affiliate. That could be a way for Frederick to get back in, though.
I’m thinking the same. Then again, if Myrtle Beach is dropping to Low-A, it is possible that Fredericksburg will remain at High-A with the Carolina League shifting northward. Something like:
MID-ATLANTIC: Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, Lowell, Wilmington, Jersey Shore, Aberdeen
CAROLINA: Greensboro, Hickory, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Salem, Lynchburg, Fredericksburg, West Virginia
SOUTH ATLANTIC: Down East, Kannapolis, Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Charleston, Fayetteville, Augusta, Greenville, Rome, Carolina, Chattanooga, Tennessee
The problem here is that Salem is owned by the Red Sox and sparing Lowell doesn’t make sense unless it remains with the Red Sox. So maybe instead of shifting north, the Carolina League actually shifts southwest, something like:
MID-ATLANTIC: Brooklyn, Hudson Valley, Lowell, Wilmington, Jersey Shore, Aberdeen
CAROLINA: Greensboro, Hickory, Asheville, Winston-Salem, Chattanooga, Tennessee, Greenville, Rome
SOUTH ATLANTIC: Down East, Kannapolis, Myrtle Beach, Columbia, Charleston, Fayetteville, Augusta, Carolina, Salem, Lynchburg, Fredericksburg, West Virginia
This isn’t especially elegant and doesn’t do much to address the travel time issues within the South Atlantic League, although it does at least lop off the most extreme outliers in Jersey Shore, Lexington, and Rome. At the High-A level, the Reds would have to abandon either Dayton or Chattanooga (it’s possible Dayton could be promoted to Double-A based on its attendance, although it’s a geographically awkward fit), the Cubs would have to leave either South Bend or Tennessee (easy choice there), and the Red Sox would still face a choice, this time between Lowell and Greenville (another easy call).
Alternatively, the Carolina League could slim down to six teams, which probably leaves Southern League imports Chattanooga and Tennessee either at Double-A or out of affiliated ball.
Chattanooga has one of the best stadiums in the country. Just sayin’ ……….
Never made sense to target it for de-affiliation given it could fit comfortably into two different leagues, it has a quality facility, and the fanbase only dates back six or seven generations (it’s one of the oldest extant professional sports teams in North America).
*Sigh* This has to be the first time in Lowell’s long, storied history that it’s ever been called “Mid-Atlantic”.
I was hoping the restructuring would have done away with these inconsistencies. But now with Lowell in the “Mally League” (can we start calling it that yet?), and Nashville in the PCL, seems we won’t be resolving anything.
I’m not quite sure how the Red Sox would have two High-A teams. I’m also not quite sure why MLB would have a team on an island like that — Lowell to NYC is a brutal drive: 3 1/2 hours when the traffic is *good* and that’s the closest team. At least in the NYPL, they could break it up with a trip to Norwich or Albany
It’s also worth noting that this rumor is sourced by a couple of reporters based in Springfield, on the other side of the state. Springfield hasn’t had a team since 1965. The area hasn’t had an affiliated team since the Holyoke Millers left in 1982.
Chris Cotillo may have been a wunderkind at one point, but not knowing (or mentioning) that Salem is owned by the Red Sox is piss-poor reporting. Likewise for Chris Smith, who is from Billerica (pronounced bill-rick-uh) and should have gleaned this when covering Lowell for the Eagle-Tribune.
If the report is accurate, I assume Salem would be classified as Low-A, which would be telling as to which league Fredericksburg will end up in. That does probably leave the Nats with a new High-A affiliate and Fredericksburg in Low-A.
We’ll see how it plays out…Wilmington would be a fine market for the Nats if it unfolds that way, a good opportunity to expand the fanbase into Delaware.
I keep turning it over in my head, and it just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. The Red Sox have a virtual replica of Fenway Park down in Greenville (SC) and another up in Portland (ME), and they own Salem and Worcester. Lowell makes zero sense as anything but a Red Sox affiliate. So why force it? Boston should be happy with that quartet of affiliates. If it’s just about making the numbers work for the new Mid-Atlantic League, then the Tri-City ValleyCats seem like a much more suitable location anyway than Lowell, which is nowhere near anywhere except Fenway Park itself.
I’m sure there’s more here than meets the eye.
OK, so *if* the Lowell stuff is nonsense and Tri-City (NY) gets the nod for the Mally League instead, it becomes a lot easier to envision a Carolina League that includes Fredericksburg. An alignment something like:
MID-ATLANTIC LEAGUE: Hudson Valley, Brooklyn, Tri-City, Wilmington, Jersey Shore, Aberdeen
CAROLINA LEAGUE: Hickory, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Salem, Lynchburg, Fredericksburg
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE: Asheville, Greenville, Rome, Chattanooga, Augusta, Columbia, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Fayetteville, Kannapolis, Down East, Carolina
An eight-team version of the Carolina League under this configuration might save West Virginia? Not sure. The Midwest League would have to drop two teams if the Carolina League has eight. Fredericksburg stays at High-A and the Nats are presumably in the market for one of those teams at Low-A, maybe Charleston or Columbia. But, that’s not the only possibility with Lowell out, with another looking something like…
MID-ATLANTIC LEAGUE: Hudson Valley, Brooklyn, Tri-City, Wilmington, Jersey Shore, Aberdeen
CAROLINA LEAGUE: Hickory, Winston-Salem, Greensboro, Asheville, Greenville, Rome
SOUTH ATLANTIC LEAGUE: Augusta, Columbia, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Fayetteville, Down East, Carolina, Kannapolis, Salem, Lynchburg, West Virginia, Fredericksburg
The ripple effect here likely meaning Chattanooga either stays in the Southern League, likely at the expense of Bowling Green, or loses its affiliation. West Virginia survives without the Midwest League having to pay the price. Fredericksburg falls to Low-A under this configuration, likely lining up Wilmington for the Nats at High-A. This is a lot of change for the Carolina League, which ends up sharing just one team (Winston-Salem) in common with its current incarnation; that being said, the reporting to date suggests the Carolina League may be in for a radical makeover.
The Red Sox bought Salem to avoid getting stuck in one of the substandard California League cities (High Desert, Bakersfield, Lancaster) during the affiliation shuffle. The Astros, Brewers and Rangers own Carolina League teams for the same reason. Likewise, one we’re all familiar with, the Mets bought Syracuse to get out of Vegas. Under the new minors configuration, losing a round of musical chairs isn’t much of an issue going forward, so maybe the Red Sox think owning Salem has served its purpose and they’ll look to move on from that investment?
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/how-4-mlb-teams-took-extreme-measures-to-avoid-landing-in-the-california-league/
Interesting thought and backstory. But I feel like Salem would have been put up for sale already if the Red Sox intended to move on from it this winter. I could be wrong, though, and it is an interesting notion given what’s been reported so far.
Definitely. It would be a nice opportunity for an owner of one of the contracted teams to remain in affiliated ball, but I don’t know how realistic it is.
With all these independent league teams getting snatched up (Somerset, Sugar Land, and likely St Paul), here’s an idea I haven’t seen floated before: what about the Nationals acquiring the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs to be our low A team?
While it’s not a perfect fit (what about this realignment is??), you could even do:
Low A: SMBC
High A: Fredericksburg
AA: Frederick
AAA: Harrisburg
(Let’s face it: Right now we’re “The View” on a fancier version of an IRC. So which one of you is Whoopee?)
When there was talk of one of the NYPL teams (Batavia) relocating to Waldorf and affiliating with the Blue Crabs, the skinny was that both the Nats and the O’s would have to give permission. Theoretically, that obstacle is gone as Herr Manfred and Kumpel Woodfork could order it unilaterally. The question is will they?
The other thought that goes through my head is if the Trenton-Somerset dyad is a thing (MLB: We want Somerset, we’ll trade you Trenton. ALPB: Sure thing, boss). If it is, I’d have to think they’d “give” Frederick to the ALPB for So. Md. I know you don’t care about the fan experience, but the Blue Crabs are basically the Senators with better parking.
As much as nobody likes it, the CW that Rochester — which IMO, the Nats should have bought in 2018 when the county was having issues, though perhaps they didn’t because this MiLB hostile takeover plan was already hatched — will be the new AAA team has yet to be disproven (yeah, yeah, how do you prove a negative…)
If that’s the case, it seems unlikely that Harrisburg will change from AA or the Eastern League.
I do think Sao may be onto something with Fredericksburg changing leagues. The big question is what would be the Nats’ fourth team? If it were So. Md., then perhaps it would join the EZPass League (Mid-Atlantic? Pfft – aren’t all these teams off some sort of toll road?) and Tri-City would bo bye-bye
If Sao is wrong about F-Burg but right that MLB wants a team in VA on the I-95 side, wouldn’t Richmond serve as a Sally League stop in the short-term (i.e. until MLB can extort a new stadium from RVA and VCU)?
Dear God, I hope they announce this soon so we can try to build a house of cards over the winter…
While Hagerstown’s stadium seemed every bit a stadium built in 1950, Richmond’s seems much older than it’s status as a 35 year old building.
My, how things have changed. I remember taking the kids multiple times to Hagerstown in the late 70’s when it was a AA affiliate. Now, it can’t even support Low A.
Richmond is thriving and could easily support a AAA franchise. The Braves left Richmond after the 2008 season because of the “decaying eyesore” (Virginia-Pilot) that is the Diamond.
Hmm, Richmond moving down to Low-A? I suppose it’s possible, maybe if the Southern League expands into Kentucky without dropping Chattanooga. You’d need a corresponding reduction of the Eastern League, although I’m not sure what the other team to go would be (that league looks pretty solid to me now that Erie is building a new ballpark). The Giants would also probably be unhappy about it.
There’s also no law that says Salem and Lynchburg have to be in the same league, although IMO it would be pretty stupid to separate them given they’re virtually next-door neighbors.
FWIW, Federal Baseball reported as of about a week ago that the Blue Crabs GM said she hadn’t talked to any MLB team about an affiliation for 2021.
Well, Ballpark Digest reports that Richmond will remain a Double-A affiliate of the Giants, meaning the Nats will almost certainly affiliate with Rochester at the Triple-A level.
I’m disappointed — Richmond is a much better market for the Nats in terms of growing the fanbase — but it’s not all bad. Rochester has a much better facility than Richmond, it’s a hell of a lot closer to D.C. than Fresno, and as for the bitter cold of April in upstate/western New York…well, there’s nothing new under the sun, given all the time Nats minor leaguers languished in Syracuse.
My analysis outside of the consequences for the Nats’ Triple-A is this means there’s going to be very little change to the Double-A level. We know the Southern League will contract by at least two teams: Jacksonville will go to Triple-A and Jackson will lose its affiliation. We know the Texas League will expand by two teams: Wichita and likely San Antonio coming down from Triple-A. It’s possible we see other changes, like Frederick being swapped for Bowie as the Orioles’ Double-A affiliate (unlikely) or Bowling Green being swapped for Chattanooga as the Reds’ Double-A affiliate (somewhat more likely), just as we’ve seen Somerset swapped for Trenton as the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate, but it seems like MLB is trying not to rock the boat *too* hard in the upper minors.
Caveat to this, since I’m still thinking about it: Brewers will be out a Triple-A affiliate if San Antonio is demoted. Their dream Triple-A destination is Indianapolis, certainly. The Pirates could be interested in Rochester for proximity; a team executive recently said Bradenton and Greensboro will remain affiliates, but he didn’t mention Indianapolis. That might not mean anything at all, but if the Pirates do vacate Indianapolis for Rochester, the Brewers could snap up Indianapolis, which would leave the Nats with either Round Rock or, if MLB decides to put the Rangers and Round Rock back together, Nashville.
Back to the future indeed.
Disappointingly, the Nats end up with a bad AAA match in every scenario.
I was hoping the Nats might have taken a proactive approach and gotten creative with a new AAA affiliate given the notable absence of AAA clubs in the mid-Atlantic. But since we haven’t seen any action from the club on this front, it seems apparent that, like for the previous 15 years of the Lerners’ ownership, this will continue to be their lowest priority. So Rochester or Nashville it is. We’ll just have to see which club no one else wants first…
I think Nashville either ends up in the International League, or in a new “Mid America” League. If it’s the IL, that would be a good landing spot, maybe more ideal than Rochester.
The Brewers were in Nashville for a long time. Their split wasn’t a very nice one. Maybe time heals all wounds in this situation, but there was definitely bad, bad blood at one time.