The Washington Nationals will be the new parent club for the Rochester Red Wings.
That’s according to U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, who said Thursday that the Nationals have picked the Red Wings as their new Triple-A Minor League affiliate team.
The Nationals will be only the fourth parent team for the Red Wings in the team’s nearly century-long history, replacing the Minnesota Twins, which had been affiliated with the team from 2003 to 2020.
Schumer said he had spoken recently to Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. He said he “highlighted that as the longest continuously operating franchise in Minor League Baseball, the Red Wings have a stellar reputation -- with top-notch fans and a passionate world-class organization led by Naomi Silver and General Manager Dan Mason.”
Naomi Silver, the president, CEO and COO of the Rochester Red Wings, said she was “extremely grateful for Senator Schumer’s assistance in securing our affiliation with the Washington Nationals. On behalf of the Red Wings and the entire community, we want to express our appreciation to the senator for reaching out to both the Nationals and the Commissioner.”
The Minnesota Twins had been the Wings' parent club since 2003. It was announced recently that the Twins were ending that long-term relationship as minor league baseball goes through a number of changes and restructuring.
The Star Tribune, a Minneapolis newspaper, had notedthat major league teams are using the reorganization to line up more geographically friendly affiliates. Its report said the Twins are interested in an affiliation with the St. Paul Saints.
