The Miami Marlins and New Orleans Zephyrs (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) extended their player-development contract (PDC) through the 2020 season.
The four-year extension was announced by Marlins Vice President of Player Development Marc DelPiano.
“The Miami Marlins are extremely excited about extending and continuing our partnership with the New Orleans Zephyrs,” said DelPiano. “We are thankful and honored to be associated with the Zephyrs and the City of New Orleans and look forward to continuing to grow and cultivate our relationship and involvement with the New Orleans community.”
The Zephyrs have been Miami’s Triple-A affiliate since the 2009 season. Their eight-year association with the Marlins, including 2016, is the longest in Miami history among its Triple-A affiliates, ahead of a six-year run in Albuquerque from 2003-2008.
“We are excited by the opportunity to continue our partnership with the Miami Marlins for the next four seasons,” said New Orleans Senior Vice President and General Manager Augusto “Cookie” Rojas. “Our goal is to foster a partnership that provides the Greater New Orleans region, and its fans, an opportunity to witness exceptional players make their way to the Major Leagues through our great ball park.
“We also believe our partnership will extend beyond the playing field and will provide opportunities to contribute to the quality of life for the region through community outreach programs and initiatives with the Marlins. Ultimately, our goal is to have players develop here in New Orleans and contribute to a World Series Championship in Miami.”
“The support and resources that (owner) Lou Schwechheimer, Cookie Rojas and the Zephyrs have provided is crucial in building a strong foundation for our young players’ development,” said DelPiano. “This commitment both organizations have shown to each other plays an important role in the success of our players.”
You can view the current state of affiliation deals here. Besides extensions of current deals, there are rumblings about other shifts that will affect the state of things in 2017 and beyond — shifts in addition to the Cal-to-Carolina changes for 2017.