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One of the more popular parts of Brewers On Deck is the Q&A session with owner Mark Attanasio. It's the kind of direct access that fan fests are all about, and while many of the questions are either softballs or repeated every year (no, Ryan Braun isn't moving to first base), occasionally we do get some interesting news out of it.
Today, Attanasio dropped a significant piece of info:
Mark just said they're trying to buy the high-A team.
— Kyle L. (@brewerfan28) January 29, 2017
#Brewers owner Mark Attanasio just told fans he is exploring possibility of purchasing High Class A affiliate, now the Carolina Mudcats.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) January 29, 2017
Further detail from Mark Attanasio: Brewers are already in negotiations to buy the Class A Carolina Mudcats.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) January 29, 2017
The Brewers added Carolina as their High-A affiliate in September, ending a more than decade-long relationship with the Brevard County Manatees. The Mudcats have been playing in Zebulon, North Carolina since 1991, and the new player development contract with the Brewers will run for two seasons.
There are a number of team-owned minor league affiliates across baseball, but are very common at the High-A level, with the Giants, White Sox, Pirates, Phillies, Blue Jays, Marlins, Tigers, Cardinals, Mets and Yankees all owning their affiliates there, with most playing in the Florida State League.
Details are scarce right now, so there's no word on what Attanasio would do with the team if he were to successfully buy it.
Stay tuned.