Wisconsin’s Minor League Baseball Teams Receive Affiliation Invites

Two Wisconsin-based Minor League Baseball teams have received invitations to continue to be a part of a parent club’s player development as Major League Baseball restructures player development league-wide.

The Wisconsin Timber Rattlers announced Wednesday they had been invited by the Milwaukee Brewers to remain part of the club’s farm system. The Timber Rattlers have been the “Low-A” affiliate for the Brewers since 2009, but will move up to Class-A “Advanced” with the new agreement.

Also receiving invites from the Brewers were the Carolina Mudcats (Low-A), the Biloxi Shuckers (Double-A) and the Nashville Sounds (Triple-A). Carolina and Biloxi had been previously affiliated with the Brewers, while Nashville returns as a minor league affiliate for Milwaukee for the first time since 2014.

Elsewhere, the Beloit Snappers will have a new parent club. The team announced Wednesday that the Miami Marlins had invited them to join their farm system as a new Class-A “Advanced” affiliate, after 39 years of being a “low-A” affiliate. Beloit had been affiliated with the Oakland A’s since the 2013 season and previously was part of the Minnesota Twins’ and Milwaukee Brewers’ organization. The Snappers will be opening a new stadium in downtown Beloit next summer and are also expected to unveil a new team name.

Of note, three current teams in the Class-A Midwest League did not receive invitations from major league clubs to continue affiliation. Baseball America reports the Burlington Bees, Clinton Lumberkings and the Kane County Cougars were among 11 full-season clubs not receiving invitations to join the minor leagues in 2021. Burlington had been affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels, Clinton with the Miami Marlins, and Kane County with the Arizona Diamondbacks. It’s unclear what the future holds for those franchises.