#baseballwifelife: A Continuous Learning Game

Yes- it's the off season. Yes- we are still talking about baseball.  

I have found over the past two seasons that this journey is a continuous learning game.  I have found that in the off seasons I learn things behind-the-scene that I wouldn't have the opportunity to learn during the season.  

For those who are not baseball savvy, let me lay the groundwork for you.  Each professional baseball team (Indians, Dodgers, Braves, etc...) have minor league teams that are affiliated with them.  Sometimes those teams are owned by the major league affiliate and other times they are owned by local business people.  In that case, the major league affiliate will sign a contract with the team to have their affiliation be a part of that team.  And when the contract is up, that's when things get interesting. 

 

For example, the Player Development Contract the Indians had with the Carolina Mudcats was up at the end of this season.  So the Mudcats had a decision to make - stay with the Indians or open up to hear offers from other organizations. 

So I am going to try and put this as simple as possible.  5 teams were up for contract negotiation - Carolina Mudcats, Lynchburg Hillcats, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (all in the Carolina League), one team in the Florida League and one team in the California league. Word on the street was that the Braves (Hillcats) were going to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.  But that was all just word on the street!!

The first move that happened was the Cubs came into the Carolina League and are now affiliated with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.  After that, the Indians announced they were going to be moving their affiliation from the Mudcats to the Hillcats (more on how I feel about that to come....). Then the Reds announced they would be coming back to the east coast and joining the Florida league.  So that leaves the Braves and the Rangers (Hillcats and Pelicans) homeless.  Their only options left are the Carolina Mudcats and the California league team.  For all my baseball followers out there, you know that the Cali league is one of, if not, the worst league to play for in the entire minor leagues.  Lots of wind, old ball parks, and little to no fans. So needless to say neither of those teams wanted to move out there. The announcement was made on Monday that the Braves would sign with the Carolina Mudcats which left the Rangers with the California League.  I feel for them because going from Myrtle Beach to California League is like going from a BMW to a Kia.  Not the best move for them, but someone had to do it!

So - long story short, if D.J. starts next season with the high A team, he will be in Lynchburg, VA with the Lynchburg Hillcats! As much as I loved the Mudcats, I am also excited to explore a new city if we are there.  For now, this is just a general announcement about the Indians, not D.J! So until the end of Spring Training, we will enjoy the off season and look forward to what next season brings!