SEATTLE, Wash. -- Seattle Mariners Director of Player Development Andy McKay announced today the extension of the Player Development Contract with the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners Triple-A affiliate in the Pacific Coast League. The Player Development Contract, which would have run out at the end of this season, has been extended to cover the 2019-2022 seasons.
"The Mariners are excited to be able to extend our relationship with the Rainiers," Mariners Director of Player Development Andy McKay said. "The Rainiers have consistently demonstrated their commitment to providing the best possible environment for our prospects to develop as well as providing an opportunity for baseball fans in the Pacific Northwest to meet the next generation of Mariners."
The Rainiers have been the Mariners Triple-A affiliate since 1995 with the upcoming 2019 season marking the 25th season the two clubs have been affiliated together. In 24 seasons as the Mariners affiliate, the Rainiers have a 1,741-1,690 (.507) record. Since joining the Seattle organization, Tacoma has collected five division titles (2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2016), three conference championships (2001, 2005, 2010), and two Pacific Coast League Championships (2001, 2010). Rainiers players and field staff have also accumulated numerous awards over the course of the affiliation, including 45 mid-season all-star selections, one PCL Pitcher of the Year, two PCL Rookies of the Year, three PCL Managers of the Year, five league ERA titles, and one league strikeout champion. The Rainiers have been in the PCL every year since 1960, for the longest current active streak of membership in the league.
"The relationship between the Mariners and the Rainiers has been a staple of baseball in the Pacific Northwest since 1995," said Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager Jerry Dipoto. "While we are two franchises, we remain one baseball family and couldn't be more thankful for our terrific partners in Tacoma. We fully believe this is simply the next chapter in what will soon be a quarter century of tradition."
The 2018 Rainiers polished off their 59th season of play with a record of 66-73 (.475) while finishing in 3rd place in the Pacific Coast League Pacific Northern Division, 16.0 games behind the division-leading Fresno Grizzlies. There were also 29 Mariners minor league players that appeared in a game with both Seattle and Tacoma during the 2018 season, including 17 of the players on the current 38-man roster.
"This has always been a great relationship," Tacoma Rainiers owner Mikal Thomsen said. "Our fans in Tacoma and I are all Mariners fans, so it is a natural thing to follow players on both teams from the fan standpoint. On the business side, the Mariners - to a person and as an organization - have been great to work with, and we look forward to maintaining this affiliation far into the future."