Dodgers owners buy Triple-A Oklahoma City team
LOS ANGELES — The owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers have reached an agreement to buy a stake in the Oklahoma City RedHawks, and the team will change its Triple-A affiliation to Oklahoma City next year.
The deal marks the end of the Dodgers minor-league presence in Albuquerque, N.M. For the past six seasons, the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate had been the Albuquerque Isotopes. It was the Dodgers’ second stint in the city. The Albuquerque Dukes were a Dodgers farm team from 1963-2000, nine years as a Double-A franchise and 29 years as a Triple-A team.
The Las Vegas 51s were the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate from 2001 to 2008.
The Dodgers will continue to play in the Pacific Coast League while moving to its American Northern Division and playing at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.
The agreement announced Wednesday is part of a partnership in which Peter Guber will be executive chairman and managing director of the RedHawks, and partners Paul Schaeffer and Larry Freedman will manage the company’s operations.
The trio has held similar roles as principals with Mandalay Baseball Properties LLC. Magic Johnson was a founding partner with MBP in the Dayton Dragons franchise of the Midwest League, which was recently sold.
MBP bought the Oklahoma City franchise at the end of the 2010 season. It had been affiliated with the Houston Astros.
The purchase agreement is subject to customary closing conditions, including the approvals of the Pacific Coast League and Minor League Baseball and the review of the commissioner’s office.
