The Boston Red Sox have extended their Player Development Contracts (PDC) with the Triple-A Pawtucket Red Sox and short-season Single-A Lowell Spinners for an additional two years through the 2020 season, the clubs announced today.
Red Sox Vice President of Player Development Ben Crockett, PawSox Executive Vice President/General Manager Dan Rea, and Spinners owner Dave Heller made the announcement.
The Red Sox and PawSox, whose partnership began in 1973, will celebrate their 46th season of affiliation in 2018. It is the second longest partnership in Triple-A behind only the Kansas City Royals and Omaha Storm Chasers of the Pacific Coast League (since 1969). Over that time, Pawtucket has finished in first place in its International League division seven times and advanced to the postseason 16 times, winning the Governors' Cup title in 1973, 1984, 2012, and 2014. The PawSox play their home games at McCoy Stadium, which was erected in 1942 and is the oldest ballpark in all of Triple-A.
The partnership between the Red Sox and Spinners began in 1996, with 2018 marking their 23rd season of affiliation. Competing in the New York-Penn League, Lowell has finished atop the Stedler Division three times (2008-09, '16), winning a franchise-record 47 games in 2016 with the league's third-best record (47-29, .618). Since 1998, the Spinners have played their home games at Edward LeLacheur Park, located on the banks of the Merrimack River near the UMass-Lowell campus.
Excluding rehab assignments, 30 players on the Red Sox' 40-man roster are Pawtucket alumni, including Dustin Pedroia (2005-06), Xander Bogaerts (2013), and Matt Barnes (2013-15). Sixteen members of the 40-man roster have played for Lowell, including Hanley Ramirez (2002), Jackie Bradley Jr. (2011), Mookie Betts (2012), and Andrew Benintendi (2015).
Pawtucket and Lowell are two of Boston's six domestic minor league affiliates, joining Double-A Portland (Eastern League), High-A Salem (Carolina League), Single-A Greenville (South Atlantic League), and the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Red Sox (Gulf Coast League).