Brewers in talks to purchase Mudcats

Less than four months after agreeing to a two-year Player Development Contract, the Milwaukee Brewers are negotiating to purchase the Carolina Mudcats, their Class A Advanced affiliate, MLB.com reported Sunday.
"There's been a little bit of a wave in baseball of teams owning their affiliates," Brewers owner Mark Attanasio told MLB.com. "I was at a dinner this week with [Cardinals chairman and chief executive officer] Bill DeWitt, and I believe I heard him correctly that the Cardinals own three of their affiliates. They're very good at developing players, and it's not just that they own [affiliates]; there's a lot of things they do.

"But I know some of the things that [Brewers GM David Stearns and assistant GM Matt Arnold] want to do to the ballpark in Zebulon that will allow us to better train players at that High-A level, and not be, every two years, looking for another place to play."
The Brewers had been affiliated with the Brevard County Manatees of the Florida State League since 2005, but that team relocated to Kissimmee following the 2016 season and became a Braves affiliate. That left Carolina and Lancaster of the California League as Milwaukee's only options.
"Having met with the Brewers and in looking at their system, we are confident that we are getting an organization that is loaded with young, talented prospects that we feel will enhance our program," Mudcats president and majority owner Steve Bryant said last September when the PDC was announced.
"We are very impressed with the Brewers in that they share with us a desire to develop young talent at the Minor League level."