Hunt is on for next MLB team to partner with 51s

The 51s’ six-year relationship with the New York Mets will end in September, and while the Mets know that Syracuse will be their new Triple-a home, the 51s are in a holding pattern.

Team president Don Logan said he has been getting questions daily about the 51s’ next partner. But he doesn’t know the answer and won’t for some time. There is a short window in which teams can communicate with potential partners, and deals must be signed by the end of September.

There probably will be a lot of movement between major league teams and Triple-a affiliates, and with the 51s moving into a new ballpark next season, they won’t be everybody’s last choice.

“If you go back over time, the Padres, they weren’t crazy about this facility,” Logan said. “The Dodgers weren’t crazy about this facility. The Blue Jays weren’t crazy about the facility or the proximity. The Mets aren’t crazy about the facility and the proximity, and now we’re going to have the finest facility in all of Minor League Baseball.

AFFILIATION

“And it’s going to be the No. 1 player development facility because we’ve taken great pains to make it that, so now we went from an afterthought to a facility anybody should want to be here.”

Here’s a look at which big league team might be in Las Vegas next season:

Not a possibility

First, let’s identify which franchises can’t come to Las Vegas.

Per Baseball Digest, the Rockies, Blue Jays, White Sox, Indians, Rays, Padres, Pirates, Cubs, Phillies, Reds, Cardinals, Marlins, Red Sox, Giants, Angels and Tigers have deals with their current affiliates through 2020.

The Mets bought the Syracuse Chiefs.

The Braves own their Triple-a affiliate, too. The Yankees partly own their Triple-a team (Scranton/wilkes-barre), and the Dodgers have a piece of the Oklahoma City franchise. More on them later.

Who that leaves

Excluding the Dodgers, that’s 19 teams out of the equation.

That leaves the Brewers, Astros, Athletics, Orioles, Royals, Diamondbacks, Twins, Rangers, Nationals and Mariners.

The Astros, who are affiliated with Fresno, are expected to switch to Round Rock, Texas. Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan has ownership in the Express and is an executive adviser for the Astros. His son, Reid, founded the Express and is the Astros’ president of business operations.

That would push the Rangers out of Round Rock and probably to San Antonio, which currently doesn’t have a Triple-a