Alex Speier of WEEI Sports reports that the sale of the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate, the Pawtucket Red Sox, is now complete and the Red Sox are expected to make an announcement today.
The Red Sox, now a minority stake owner of the PawSox, came together with a group of local business owners to buy the team from Madeleine Mondor, the wife of longtime PawSox owner Ben Mondor who passed away in 2010. And while this may seem like a unique concept, the Red Sox actually bought a majority stake in the High-A Salem Red Sox in 2007 to prevent the team from relocating.
While this strategy worked in Salem, the relocation plans for the PawSox are still very much in the air, though. Pawtucket has been one of the most successful Triple-A teams in recent years, reaching three consecutive Governor’s Cup finals (the Triple-A championship) with two wins, most recently last season. There is nothing known about any potential relocation plans for the PawSox, but the team is expected to announce the team’s future location (whether it be at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket or elsewhere) during the press conference today.
Pawtucket is an ideal location for the team as the short distance between the PawSox and the big club appears to heighten the connection between the two teams, as well as making promotions and demotions relatively easy for the Red Sox. However, baseball is a business and there’s always that chance that the PawSox will no longer contain the “Paw.” It’s tough to know what will happen until the press conference, but stay tuned at BoSox Injection and we’ll keep you posted.