The Chicago Cubs farm system likely will remain relatively unchanged as Major League Baseball revamps its player development format.
The Cubs on Wednesday announced they have invited Triple-A Iowa, Double-A Tennessee, high Class A South Bend and low Class A Myrtle Beach to remain affiliates. The only changes are that South Bend and Myrtle Beach switch levels of classification, and short-season Class A Eugene was invited by the San Francisco Giants to become a high Class A affiliate.
“We are pleased to invite four of our long-time affiliates to continue working with us and help develop our players,” Matt Dorey, Cubs vice president of player development, said in a statement. “These four teams have combined to work with the Cubs for 66 years, and that is only possible with strong ownership, hardworking front offices and welcoming communities at each level of our system.
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“We would also like to thank the Eugene Emeralds for their commitment and tireless effort the past six years, highlighted by Northwest League titles in 2016 and 2018. We are grateful to Allan Benavides, Matt Dompe and the entire Eugene front office.”
Iowa has been a Cubs affiliate since 1981 — third-longest among any major-league team. Tennessee partnered with the Cubs in 2007, and South Bend and Myrtle Beach joined in 2015.
“We are gratified to have received Major League Baseball’s invitation to continue as a minor league-affiliate,” South Bend Cubs President Joe Hart said in a statement. “Our organization will review the full details of the agreement once we receive them and carefully evaluate the proposal to ensure it is mutually beneficial, not just for our team, but for our community and fans before we formally accept.”