Skip to main content

MiLB: Affiliation Changes Could be Coming in the Southern League

Three teams in the Southern League are testing the waters in the form of Player Development Contracts for 2019 and beyond. Per the Pensacola News Journal, the Blue Wahoos have become the newest free agent in PDC's after terminating their affiliation contract with the Cincinnati Reds on September 11th, a deal was slated to end this year. With the announcement that the Blue Wahoos will be searching for a new PDC, five teams are on the board.

The Chattanooga Lookouts, a fellow Southern League team, have yet to announce an extension with the Minnesota Twins. The four year deal with the Twins came to a close this season making the Twins an option for the Blue Wahoos. One of the other options comes after the San Antonio Missions moved to AAA with the Milwaukee Brewers. This leaves the San Diego Padres without an AA organization.

Two other teams in Double-A baseball have uncertain futures with their PDC. The Chicago Cubs have yet to sign an extension with the Tennessee Smokies, a relationship that began in 2007, and the Oakland Athletics haven't signed an extension with the Midland RockHounds, a relationship that dates back to 1999. The Pensacola News Journal reported that Oakland isn't an option for the Blue Wahoos.

Minnesota has extended their player development contract with the Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A), Fort Myers Miracle (Class A-Advanced), and Cedar Rapids Kernels (Class A) leaving Chattanooga the only team without an extension. Before signing with Chattanooga in 2015, Minnesota spent almost 20 years with the New Britain Rock Cats. Chattanooga has picked up two championships with the Twins in 2015 and 2017.

Oakland has moved their Triple-A affiliation from Nashville to Las Vegas. They have signed extensions with the Stockton Ports (Class A-Advanced) and Vermont Lake Monsters (Class A-Short) through 2020. The Oakland Athletics were last seen in the Southern League from 1985 through 1998 with the Huntsville Stars. The Stars won the Southern League Championship in 1985 and 1994. The Athletics were also with the Chattanooga Lookouts in 1977 and 1976.

The Cincinnati Reds signed extensions with the Louisville Bats (Triple-A) and Daytona Tortugas (Class A-Advanced) through 2020 but will be looking for a new Double-A affiliate for the first time since the end of the 2011 season. The Chattanooga Lookouts have a connection with the Cincinnati Reds. From 1988 to 2008, the Reds were affiliated with the Lookouts. During the Reds PDC Era stars like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce,  Justin Turner, Edwin Encarnacion, Drew Stubbs, Adam Dunn, and others began building their careers in Chattanooga.

The San Diego Padres have signed extensions with the El Paso Chihuahuas (Triple-A) and Fort Wayne TinCaps (Class A-Advanced) but they will be looking for a new Double-A affiliate for the first time since 2006. The San Diego Padres were last seen in the Southern League from 1997 through 2006 with the Mobile BayBears. With the Padres, the BayBears won the Southern League Championship in 1998 and 2004. This is the first time since 2007 that the Padres have been searching for a Player Development Contract.

The Chicago Cubs have signed extensions with the Iowa Cubs (Triple-A), Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Class A-Advanced), South Bend Cubs (Class A), and Eugene Cubs (Class A-Short Season) while the Tennessee Smokies are the only team without an extension. The Cubs have been with a Southern League team since 1989 earning only one championship in 2000 with the West Tennesse Diamond Jaxx. It's the first time since the end of the 2006 season that the Cubs are searching for a Double-A affiliate. (Koelle,2018)

Comments


  1. Fantastic job done. I just loved your work here. Lovely . I visited your blog for the first time.
    This is superb! I like it.
    Very nice article and very helpful.
    Thank you for sharing good and important information.
    Not completed reading all but done with few. Really mind blowing qoutes.
    15 Success Tips / 2019 To Success Time / Motivational Tips 2019
    Motivational Tips
    Donald Trump 10 success rules Motivational Quotes
    Recent all jobs circular

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Launch of The Walk-Off Sports Report

On January 12th, 2018, The Walk-Off Report was launched. The Walk-Off Report will be your new home for Minor/Major League Baseball, College Football, and other sports as the year continues. Currently, we will cover certain teams in the above-listed sports that are listed below. Professional Baseball  One of the main reasons we began this website is to supply reports and results from Baseball in four levels of the farm system. It all begins with the Rookie Class up in Elizabethton Tennessee and builds up to the Majors in both Georgia with the Atlanta Braves and in Minnesota with Minnesota Twins. As seen below we'll cover two levels of the Minnesota Twins farm system, both in the state of Tennessee. Teams will be added to this list over time but these teams are our main focus in the beginning.  Southern League Baseball College Football The Walk-Off Sports Report all began as an idea we had while working the College Football Playoff last weekend in Atlanta. Well in 2018

MiLB: Mobile BayBears Look for Walk-Off in Final Season in Mobile

On Thursday (April 4th), the Mobile BayBears kick off their final season in Mobile, Alabama. The team will relocate to Madison, Alabama after this season and the BayBears are looking to finish in walk-off style. The BayBears have an opportunity in 2019 to tie the Montgomery Biscuits with four Southern League titles. The organization is currently fourth on the all-time SLCS victories. One last season at Hank Aaron Stadium, is this the year they walk-off with their fifth Southern League championship? In 2018, the Mobile BayBears were hiding in the bushes during the 2018 Walk-Off Sports Report Southern League Playoff Watch but the organization was eliminated from playoff contention rather early in the campaign. The organization finished 66-70, fourth in the South Division. The BayBears were second in runs scored per game and runs batted in during the 2018 season but the rest of the batting statistics were pretty low. Things just didn't add up for the organization and in 2019 they

WWE: Monday Night RAW Arena Spotlight - UTC McKenzie Arena

Despite not being one of the largest Arena's in the South, the UTC McKenzie Arena has hosted three Monday Night RAW events. The arena was opened on October 8th, 1982 and hosted its first WWE event on May 12th, 1998. The event featured superstars including "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Undertaker, The Rock, Triple-H, and the late Owen Hart among others. The event ended with both Vince McMahon and, at the time WWE official, Gerald Brisco receiving a "stunner" from Austin. Monday Night RAW returned to Chattanooga on February 22nd, 1999. The event held more toward the end of the "Monday Night Wars" had a "hot" main event between Kane and The Undertaker. The Undertaker would defeat Kane in just the second "Inferno Match" ever. Also in the show, X-Pac defeated Chyna to earn the No. 1 contender spot for the European Championship. Also during the show, The WWF Championship was on the line for the second time in the UTC McKenzie Arena b