Montgomery to remain affiliate of Rays through 2018

ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays will play an exhibition game against their Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits, in Montgomery, Ala., on March 29, the club announced Tuesday.

The game at Riverwalk Stadium will mark the first time in more than 25 years a Major League team has played in Alabama.

"I'm looking forward to it," manager Joe Maddon said. "I know how much it means to individual markets. I think it's great. It's not a big deal for us. There is no negative about it. There's only positive, and that's the inclusion where both groups get to come together."

In conjunction with the announcement, the Biscuits also revealed they will remain associated with Tampa Bay through the 2018 season.

The relationship has been in place since 2004 and has seen 46 players advance to the Major Leagues in that time, including David Price, Evan Longoria and Desmond Jennings.

"We're proud to continue our decade-long relationship with the Biscuits," Rays president Matt Silverman said in a statement. "We're grateful for the positive experiences they have created for our young players and the manner in which they have represented our organization. It's exciting for us to bring Rays baseball directly to Biscuits fans."