MIAMI (AP) — Players joining the Washington Nationals from their Triple-A affiliate will have to take some redeye flights the next two seasons.
The Nationals announced Tuesday that they’ve signed a two-year player-development contract with the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League.
Fresno replaces Syracuse as the Nationals’ Triple-A club. Syracuse signed a deal with the New York Mets, who bought the minor league club earlier in the season.
Several other major league clubs have shuffled their Triple-A affiliates, and on Tuesday the Texas Rangers reached a deal with Nashville, leaving Fresno as the Nationals’ best option.
Fresno becomes the Nationals’ fourth Triple-A affiliate since the franchise moved to Washington in 2005. The Grizzlies were previously part of the San Francisco Giants’ and Houston Astros’ farm systems.
The Rangers and Triple-A Nashville Sounds announced Tuesday that the organizations have entered into a four-year player development contract through the 2022 season.
That announcement came a day after the Rangers said their eight-year affiliation with the Round Rock Express was ending. The team in suburban Austin, Texas, is owned in part by Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, and is expected to become Houston’s Triple-A team. Ryan works as a consultant for the Astros, whose president is son Reid Ryan.
Before the eight years with Round Rock, the Rangers were affiliated with Oklahoma City from 1983-2010.
The Sounds had been affiliated with the Oakland Athletics since 2015, when the team opened a new ballpark in downtown Nashville.
The Las Vegas 51s professional baseball team of the Pacific Coast League (PCL) and the Oakland Athletics, member of the American League West Division, announced a two-year Player Development Contract (PDC), through the 2020 season.
The 51s, on September 3, completed their 36th season in the PCL and final campaign as the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. The Mets purchased Triple-A Syracuse on October 20, 2017 and will begin play in the International League in 2019.
The Brewers announced a two-year player development deal with San Antonio, a new Class AAA franchise in the Pacific Coast League. That franchise was transferred from Colorado Springs, so the Brewers actually are working with the same ownership group.
