Nats re-up with Chiefs; are there Squirrels in the future?

by Phil Wood

Staying in Syracuse is a solid move, particularly since there doesn't seem to be another available AAA franchise in the Eastern Time Zone. Assigning or retrieving players to/from upstate New York is, geographically, pretty simple. A new 2-year Player Development Contract with the Chiefs was inevitable.

The Nats' arrangement with AA Harrisburg is also up for renewal, as is the Giants' PDC with Richmond. I've gone on record about this issue before: Richmond, VA makes far more sense to me than does Harrisburg, PA, despite the fact that the Harrisburg franchise is called the "Senators."

It's very simple. Baseball fans in Richmond can easily trek up I-95 (okay, sometimes the traffic makes it not so easy) or take the train to see the Nationals in Washington, and vice-versa. The Flying Squirrels - yes, that's really the team's name - have enjoyed a solid inaugural season attendance-wise, averaging nearly 6,500 fans a game, second-best in the Eastern League. It's true that The Diamond, the ballpark in Richmond that housed the old Richmond Braves for many years before that franchise moved to Georgia, is past its prime. With an affiliation with the closest big league club, however, perhaps some prgress could be achieved on a new facility within a few years.

Richmond-area fans can already tune in to MASN to watch the Nationals, as can most of the state. It wouldn't be difficult to cross-promote both teams - the Nationals already do that with the Potomac Nationals of the Carolina League. The Hagerstown Suns of the South Atlantic League are also close enough for area fans to check out the prospects; bringing the Double A players into the same geographic realm as the both the A and High A teams just seems like the logical thing to do.

Alas, logic doesn't always rule the day in this sport. There are likely a myriad of reasons why this transaction isn't so simple.

I have to believe, however, that it's getting at least a modicum of consideration.