ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Astros on Tuesday announced they had agreed to sell three of their Minor League affiliates -- Triple-A Sugar Land, Double-A Corpus Christi and Single-A Fayetteville -- to Diamond Baseball Holdings, which owns dozens of teams affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The sale is not expected to have an impact on the day-to-day operations of any of the three franchises, with an official from Diamond Baseball Holdings saying Tuesday that they plan on retaining employees who are currently in place. The Space Cowboys, Hooks and Woodpeckers will remain Astros affiliates and continue to be operated by their respective existing general managers.
"Diamond Baseball Holdings is the perfect partner for the Astros,” Astros owner Jim Crane said in a statement. “Not only do they have a successful track record of investing in communities and Minor League Baseball, they also are committed to a best-in-class local fan experience.
"On behalf of our entire organization, I want to personally thank every employee and fan within each of the clubs for helping make the Astros a championship franchise. We remain committed to these communities as our affiliate partners and we look forward to continuing to grow the game of baseball together.”
Sugar Land was established as the Skeeters in the independent Atlantic League in 2012 and played in that league through '19. The Astros acquired Sugar Land in April 2021 to become their Triple-A affiliate and rebranded the team as the Space Cowboys.
Corpus Christi became the Astros’ Double-A franchise in 2005 and was purchased by the Astros from Ryan-Sanders Baseball in '13. Fayetteville debuted in 2019 and had been owned by the Astros since its inception.
"We’re excited to welcome these three outstanding Astros affiliates to the DBH family,” said Pat Battle and Peter Freund, executive chairman and CEO of DBH, in a statement. “The Space Cowboys, Hooks and Woodpeckers embody what makes Minor League Baseball so special as each has cultivated deep community roots and a strong player development culture. Our goal is to work closely with the Astros organization to enhance the foundation that they have built, bringing additional investment, resources and a relentless focus on fans and players.”
The Asheville Tourists, the Astros’ High-A affiliate, are owned by DeWine Seeds Silver Dollar Baseball, LLC and have been affiliated with Houston since 2021.