Bisons to remain Triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays, club signs 10-year agreement with MLB
The absolute best sports and family entertainment experience and value will continue to have a home at Sahlen Field as the Buffalo Bisons today announced that they have accepted Major League Baseball’s invitation to be a member of its all-new Professional Development League System by signing a 10-year player development
The absolute best sports and family entertainment experience and value will continue to have a home at Sahlen Field as the Buffalo Bisons today announced that they have accepted Major League Baseball’s invitation to be a member of its all-new Professional Development League System by signing a 10-year player development license agreement with MLB.
As part of the agreement, the Bisons will serve as the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, continuing a partnership between the two organizations on and off the field that is approaching its ninth year. The Herd will now compete in a new 20-team league titled “Triple-A East” that takes over for the former International League.
“We are very excited to continue our strong partnership with the Toronto Blue Jays and are looking forward to an expanded relationship with Major League Baseball that will help us grow the game of baseball together,” said Anthony Sprague, General Manager of the Bisons. “Through our affiliation with the Blue Jays, we have been able to showcase many exciting players on their way to Toronto while also providing great family entertainment and value to baseball fans throughout Western New York and Southern Ontario.”
A 2021 Buffalo Bisons playing schedule will be announced at a later date, as well as further information on 2021 ticketing and ballpark policies. Fans are encouraged to visit Bisons.com for future updates.
The New Triple-A East
As a member of the all-new Triple-A East, the Bisons will be a part of a 20-team league that will includes 12 other members of the former International League, four teams from the former Pacific Coast League and three new teams to the Triple-A level. The Memphis Redbirds (Cardinals), Nashville Sounds (Brewers), Iowa Cubs (Cubs) and Omaha Storm Chasers (Royals) join the league from the PCL. The Bisons played against Nashville, Iowa and Omaha in the late 1980s and early 1990s as members of the American Association.
The formerly independent St. Paul Saints are the new Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins and the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) have been elevated from the former Double-A Southern League. The Pawtucket Red Sox relocated to Worcester, MA after the 2019 season and will have their inaugural season as the Worchester Red Sox (Red Sox) in 2021.
The Rochester Red Wings are the new Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. All other existing Triple-A affiliations have carried over from 2019.
The league has been divided into three divisions (Northeast, Midwest and Southeast) with the Bisons Sharing the ‘Northeast Division’ with Rochester, Syracuse, Lehigh Valley, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Worcester.