The Devil Rays entered into an agreement to purchase the
Cubs' AA franchise in Orlando, according to Bill Chastian of the
TAMPA TRIBUNE. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Devil
Rays will operate the Orlando team in '97 and '98 under a player
development contract with the Cubs. Orlando will then become a
Devil Rays affiliate in '99, the first season the team will have
a AA team under expansion rules. Norton Herrick, who has an
exclusive agreement with Orlando until '97 to bring a MLB team to
the city, had said the sale would hurt Orlando's chance of
getting a team. Under MLB rules, when a major league team moves
into a minor-league club's territory, "it must compensate the
departing team." Herrick had suggested the Devil Rays could
charge a high price, preventing him from making a deal. But
Devil Rays VP/General Counsel John Higgins said if two parties
can't agree on a price, an arbitration panel would settle the
dispute. Higgins: "Baseball wouldn't let us block anything."
Herrick was unavailable for comment, but Orlando Area Sports
Commission head Randy Johnson said the sale does not "breach the
city's contract with Herrick" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 6/11). Devil Rays
Managing General Partner Vince Naimoli said the move was "an
essential part of our marketing strategy," as it "stretches"
their base with exposure in Central FL. Higgins said the close
proximity between the teams makes scouting easier and less
expensive (Gene Yasuda, ORLANDO SENTINEL, 6/11).
