Lookouts’ future ties with Twins not certain
The Chattanooga Lookouts are down to the final five games of their Southern League season.
They also are down to the final five games of a four-year player development contract agreement with the Minnesota Twins that was announced on Sept. 17, 2014. Chattanooga’s four-year partnership with Minnesota followed a six-season run as the Class AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, but the Lookouts are among just six Double-A teams without a contract in place for next season.
“We just haven’t come to an agreement with the Minnesota Twins at this point, and I don’t know that I can really say anything else,” Lookouts general manager Rich Mozingo said Wednesday.
The Lookouts are on pace to reach Labor Day without a player development contract in place for only the third time in the past 30 seasons. Chattanooga left a 21-year partnership with the Cincinnati Reds after the 2008 season to hook up with the Dodgers, who elected to leave Chattanooga after the 2014 season for a chance to be in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and significantly closer to their Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.
When Twins director of minor league operations Jeremy Zoll was contacted in June about the contract with the Lookouts, he responded, “We appreciate all of the relationships we have with our affiliates and keep the information on PDC discussions internal until we have an announcement to share.”
The Times Free Press reached out to Zoll again Tuesday but has not heard back.
On Aug. 1, Minnesota extended its player development contract with Triple-A Rochester (New York) through the 2020 season.
The five other Double-A teams without announced player development contracts for next season are the Southern League’s Pensacola Blue Wahoos (currently with Cincinnati) and Tennessee Smokies (Chicago Cubs), the Midland RockHounds (Oakland Athletics), the San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres) and Tulsa. San Antonio will be a Triple-A team in 2019, replacing Colorado Springs, with the Double-A vacancy being filled by Amarillo, Texas.
Both the Cubs and Dodgers are expected to renew with their Double-A affiliates within the next several days.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.