The Blue Jays have announced they reached an extension with their double-A affiliate team, 2011 Eastern League Champions, New Hampshire Fisher Cats. The new deal is 2 years in length which is typical for player development contracts. The deal will expire at the end of the 2014 season.
The Blue Jays have been partners with New Hampshire since 2004. It is one of the strongest followed affiliates of the Blue Jays, and for good reason. New Hampshire is normally where the Blue Jays store their top arms that are major league ready. The Fisher Cats have won two Eastern League titles while being affiliated with Toronto, most recently in 2011 – as well as in 2004. The team owns a state-of-the-art stadium according to many who have visited.
This is great news for the Blue Jays and all of their minor league followers. The Fisher Cats have been the staple of player development for the Blue Jays and have a rich history of sending many players on their way to the big leagues.
There was a report out a while ago from Ottawa that they were looking to acquire a double-A team in 2013. They would play out of Ottawa Stadium, which use to occupy the Ottawa Lynx a former triple-A team. The city council approved an approximated $5.7million in renovations to the stadium, according to the National Post’s John Lott. The Blue Jays were closely linked to Ottawa since the article was posted, because of their hopes of expanding their Canadian content.
In other minor league affiliate news, Las Vegas’ contract is set to expire at the conclusion of the 2012 season. There have been many stories and reports of the Blue Jays objection to having an affiliation with a Pacific Coast League (PCL) team. The PCL is known as a pure hitter’s league, especially in their own park. It’s no secret that the Blue Jays are going to explore moving this team when the contract expires. According to Lott, there has been some speculation that the Blue Jays would be looking to partner up with Buffalo. Buffalo is the triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets and their contract is set to expire at the end of the year as well. This move would be beneficial for the Blue Jays in many ways and most importantly get out of the hitter friendly confines of Las Vegas.