Updated 8/18 1:00 PM
Tim asked me yesterday to do some digging on this, and so I did. According to what a source from The Oklahoman with knowledge of the situation told me, the Oklahoma City Red Hawks are “not very keen” on renewing their PDC with the Houston Astros. The word is that the Mets are one of two teams that have some “strong appeal” to them. – JD
Original Post 8/17 8:15 AM
If reports in this mornings Democrat and Chronicle are accurate (and we have no reason to believe they aren’t), the Minnesota Twins and Rochester Red Wings are set to announce a new two year player development contract this afternoon. With the signing, the Buffalo Bisons will be the only team left in the fourteen team International League that has not resigned with their current parent club.
The D&C article took direct aim at the Mets and their ‘situation’ at the Triple A level as well, stating
The Buffalo Bisons are expected to drop the New York Mets as their parent club and perhaps sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. However, a Red Wings official said the Mets’ track record is not solid – Buffalo is their third Triple-A city in six years – and they are reluctant to take a chance on a new major-league club.
Out west, eight of the sixteen teams in the Pacific Coast League are still without agreement renewals with their current parent clubs. Oklahoma City, Nashville, Albuquerque, Fresno, Memphis, New Orleans, and Iowa – along with Las Vegas – are the current markets still somewhat ‘open’ at this point in the PCL.
League rules and agreements prohibit MLB teams from speaking with any minor league team other than those they are currently affiliated with until the minor league season comes to an end; this may explain why there hasn’t been any news out of Flushing, Buffalo, Toronto, or Las Vegas about the 2013 season as of yet, and a final decision may not be known in any of those locales until mid-September.
