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Travelers Sign PDL With Major League Baseball

February 12, 2021

The Arkansas Travelers have signed their Player Development License and have been accepted to remain an affiliated Minor League Baseball club. The Seattle Mariners issued the Arkansas franchise an invitation to be their Double-A club in December. The newly signed agreement will partner the Travs with the Mariners and Major

The Arkansas Travelers have signed their Player Development License and have been accepted to remain an affiliated Minor League Baseball club. The Seattle Mariners issued the Arkansas franchise an invitation to be their Double-A club in December. The newly signed agreement will partner the Travs with the Mariners and Major League Baseball. Arkansas and Seattle have been affiliated since 2017. All 120 affiliates and their league assignments were announced today by Major League Baseball as part of their new model for the Player Development League.

“Today is an exciting day for central Arkansas”, stated Travelers President Russ Meeks. “We are looking forward to this new era of Minor League Baseball and are blessed to have such a great relationship with the Seattle Mariners. They are a tremendous organization and we look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.”

The Travelers will be in the North Division of the newly named Double-A Central League which features 10 teams including all of the previous Texas League as well as two new additions. Joining the Travs in the North Division are the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals), Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals), Tulsa Drillers (Los Angeles Dodgers) and Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota Twins). The South Division will be comprised of the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Arizona Diamondbacks), Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros), Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers), Midland RockHounds (Oakland A’s) and San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres).

The modernization of the Minor League system will provide benefits to fans, players and clubs. Among the notable changes across the landscape of baseball include better geographic proximity within leagues at each level and for MLB teams to their affiliates. Players will see an increase in compensation as well as better facilities while the minor league clubs will now work directly with the MLB office on sponsorship and marketing opportunities.

Commissioner of Baseball Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said: “We are excited to unveil this new model, which not only provides a pipeline to the Majors, but continues the Minor Leagues’ tradition of entertaining millions of families in hundreds of communities. In modernizing our Minor League system, we prioritized the qualities that make the Minor Leagues such an integral part of our game while strengthening how we develop professional athletes on and off the field. We look forward to demonstrating the best of our game throughout local communities, supporting all those who are working hard to grow the sport, and sharing unrivaled technology and resources with minor league teams and players.”

More information about the Travelers upcoming 2021 season including schedule and ticket options are expected to be released in the coming days.

Founded in 1901, the Arkansas Travelers are the Double-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and call Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock home. For all the latest information with the club and events at the ballpark, log on to travs.com or follow the Travelers on Facebook (Arkansas Travelers), Instagram (@artravs) and Twitter (@artravs).