NewsReds, Pirates to swap Class A affiliates
Structured deal pending approval from Florida State LeagueBy Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
10/29/09 11:45 AM EST
CINCINNATI -- Now that the Reds have ended their Spring Training ties to Sarasota, Fla., they are close to selling their Florida State League team in the Gulf Coast city. The Reds found a buyer in the Pirates and the two teams plan to swap high Class A affiliates. The Pirates would take over operations of the Sarasota team and move it to nearby Bradenton, where they have their Minor League and Spring Training complexes. That would mean the Reds would assume the Pirates' affiliate agreement with the Lynchburg Hillcats in the Carolina League. Of course, all of the Reds' prospects on the team would move to the Virginia city as well. "Four or five teams kicked the tires but the Pirates were the best fit," Reds assistant general manager Bob Miller said. "I think it will be a good deal for them." Miller would not disclose the price of the sale of the Sarasota team but said it "was close to what we paid for it." The Reds bought the club from the Red Sox in the spring of 2006. All that remains before the deal can close is approval from the Florida State League for the Pirates to move the team to Bradenton. The FSL will vote on the matter in early November. The Reds' lease at Sarasota's Ed Smith Stadium ends this weekend. The club has already pulled out and moved operations to its brand new facility in Goodyear, Ariz. The rookie-level Gulf Coast League team, the GCL Reds, will move to the Arizona League and play in Goodyear. By having a team in Lynchburg, the Reds' Minor League affiliates will be closer geographically. Their low Class A team is in Dayton, Ohio, and the Double-A team, the Carolina Mudcats, are not too far in Zebulon, N.C. The Pirates, which had been in Lynchburg since 1995, have an affiliate agreement with the team that runs through 2010. The Reds aren't extending the agreement beyond next season for now. "We'll make sure we like each other," Miller said. "I expect it will be for the long term. We're going into this looking for it to be a long-term partnership."Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
