According to a report from Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit Tigers are expected to lose at least one of their nine minor league affiliates.
Petzold is reporting that a ‘person with direct knowledge of the franchise’s minor league adjustments’ told him that the Tigers are expected to lose their current Short-Season A affiliate, the Connecticut Tigers.
From Detroit Free Press:
The Tigers are expected to lose at least one of their nine affiliates. The Tigers’ Short-Season A affiliate in Norwich, Connecticut, previously known as the Connecticut Tigers, is expected to be unaffiliated with the franchise, the source said. The New York-Pennsylvania League, like the Appalachian League, could be converted to a wood-bat summer development league for college players, according to Baseball America.
Petzold noted that there is also a chance the Tigers lose the Erie SeaWolves, though that seems much less likely.
Hanging in limbo is Double-A Erie, but the Tigers are “optimistic” about maintaining affiliation, the source said. The team was given $12 million from the state to upgrade UPMC Park. The finances for construction, according to a USA TODAY Sports, were granted before MLB targeted 42 teams — including Erie and Norwich — for contraction, according to Baseball America in October.
The Tigers believe these renovations will keep Erie affiliated with the franchise. In late October, MLB set new standards for facilities, and the organization thinks Erie’s upgrades will comply with the demands.