The Carolina Mudcats will be the Cincinnati Reds new Class AA affiliate, announced on Sept. 26, replacing the Red's 21 year AA affliation with the Chattanooga Lookouts. A two-year player development contract deal was signed through the 2010 season. Carolina will also host a major league exhibition game with the Reds on Friday, April 3, 2009, at Five County Stadium. Does anyone remember the great movie, Major League 3: Back to the Minors? Along with the new affliation, Five County Stadium will get a some new renovations.The only problem I saw with this deal is when I read the newsobserver.com. Javier Serna wrote, "The Reds had one of the top farm systems in the major leagues this year. Still, unlike the Florida Marlins, who frequently promoted players directly from the Double-A Mudcats, the Reds never directly promoted a player from Double-A this season."
The L.A. Dodgers started a chain reaction when they made the first change in the Double-A Southern League. Last week, the Dodgers left the Jacksonville Suns for the Chattanooga Lookouts, which had been affiliated with the Reds for 21 years. The Marlins then decided to expand their Florida footprint by signing with Jacksonville. That left only two other possibilities for Carolina: the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees, both considering leaving affiliates in the Eastern League. But Thursday, both teams said they would be staying: the Yankees with Trenton and the Giants with Connecticut."
"It's a flawed situation," owner Steve Bryant said of the way teams change affiliations every year, noting only a few contracts come up in a given year. He also commented the Mudcats were lucky to have the Reds, which he called a "gold standard" franchise. "The Reds are a baseball icon and we're proud to have such a highly rated minor league system coming our way," Mudcats owner Steve Bryant said, noting that Baseball America ranked the Reds' minor league organization third in baseball entering 2008.Also reports was Terry Reynolds, the Reds' director of player development spoke of a "whirlwind" process that began only days before the Mudcats' first meeting with the Reds last Friday in Zebulon, NC.
"We're very excited about having the Reds partner with us," Carolina general manager Joe Kremer said. "Many Midwesterners have relocated to North Carolina over the years, including a large number of Buckeyes and a very strong Reds following."For more Carolina Mudcats info visit my lovely Wife's page:
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