Reds in talks to take over Hillcats from Pirates

No major-league team has had a longer history in Lynchburg than the Pittsburgh Pirates, who have been the Hillcats’ parent club since 1995.

But it appears that run is about to come to an end.

The Pirates and Cincinnati Reds are in talks to swap High-A clubs, with the Pirates taking over Cincinnati’s Florida State League entry in Sarasota and the Reds taking over as the parent club for the Hillcats.

Pittsburgh would then move the Sarasota club to the team’s minor-league facility in Bradenton.

Hillcats general manager Paul Sunwall said talks between the Pirates and the Florida State League have been going on for some time, and that the deal could become official within weeks. The Hillcats have already had some preliminary talks with Cincinnati officials, who have made trips to Lynchburg to inspect the facilities at City Stadium.

Whatever happens, the Hillcats’ name will stay the same, Sunwall said.

“Really, nothing other than our stationary will change,” he said. “It’ll just say Class A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds.”

The Pirates have been trying to move to Bradenton for some time. In fact, when the Pirates approached the Hillcats about extending their contract with the club after the 2008 season, the uncertainty with the potential Bradenton situation led Hillcats officials to sign a two-year extension with the Pirates rather than a four-year deal.

Sunwall said the Pirates were willing to honor the contract, which runs through the 2010 season, but he added there was no reason to wait to make the switch if the Sarasota sale went through.

“They were kind enough to not burn a bridge, and we’ll honor that,” Sunwall said. “Why force them to stay and hold their feet to the fire?”

The move could still fall through. There are still some legal issues the Pirates and the city of Bradenton have to hammer out, and the FSL must put its final stamp of approval on the move. But Sunwall said the deal is likely to happen, and that the team had already been exploring other affiliation options.

Other teams the Hillcats spoke to were the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners.

Cincinnati last had a Carolina League affiliate in 2004, when it was the parent club of the Potomac Cannons. After Cincinnati left, Washington came in and renamed the team the Potomac Nationals.

If the deal goes through, it will mark the third time during Sunwall’s tenure that a team has left Lynchburg. In 1987, the Mets left for Port St. Lucie, Fla., in the Florida State League. Port St. Lucie had offered to build the Mets a new spring training facility under the condition that the Mets’ put a High-A team to play in the stadium for the summer. The Red Sox moved their High-A team from Greensboro to Lynchburg in 1988.

The Red Sox then moved from Lynchburg in 1994. At the time, Boston had two High-A teams, the other being in the Midwest League, and the Red Sox had trouble stocking both rosters with high-level players. At the same time, the Pirates ended their affiliation with Salem and moved their High-A team to Lynchburg.