River Bandits extend deal with Cardinals
By Steve Batterson | Wednesday, February 06, 2008
The road to Busch Stadium will continue to run through the Quad-Cities for minor-league baseball players in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.
Dave Heller, managing partner of the Quad-Cities River Bandits, and Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak signed a two-year extension of the existing agreement between the clubs during a Tuesday news conference at Modern Woodmen Park.
Player development contracts — the document that ties major-league clubs to their minor-league affiliates — can be two or four years in length. With new ownership operating the Quad-Cities’ Midwest League franchise, Mozeliak views a two-year deal as the most prudent approach for both parties.
“We’re coming off of a four-year agreement and at this point, it seems to make a lot of sense to go with two years to make certain that all parties are comfortable with each other,” Mozeliak said.
“We like it here, our people like it here and we are excited to continue our relationship with Dave and his people. We are excited about the plans he has for this affiliate and we are showing our commitment by renewing our agreement. Fans will see a different product here than they have in the past.”
The Quad-Cities franchise has been a St. Louis affiliate since 2005 and Tuesday’s agreement extends that relationship through the 2010 season.
In the first three years of the current four-year contract between the organizations, St. Louis-affiliated Quad-Cities teams have had a combined record of 226-189 and have reached the Midwest League playoffs each season.
River Bandits extend deal with Cardinals / QCTimes.com