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Marlins get new Triple-A affiliate with minor league realignment

Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp replace Wichita as Miami's top farm team
Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp logo outside Marlins Park
Posted at 4:20 PM, Feb 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-12 16:25:08-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Major League Baseball has reorganized its minor leagues in a 120-team regional alignment.

MLB released a plan for two Triple-A divisions, and three divisions each for Double-A, High-A and Low-A.

Forty affiliates were dropped from 2019, the last season under the old minor league system, and the remaining teams were offered licenses in December.

Major league owners, Commissioner Rob Manfred and his staff have not yet decided whether to retain the traditional names of the leagues.

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Under the new structure, Miami Marlins players who are designated for assignment won't have to leave the state.

The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp have become the new Triple-A affiliate of the Marlins, replacing the Wichita Wind Surge, who took over for the New Orleans Baby Cakes last year after the team relocated.

Miami's 10-year agreement with the Jumbo Shrimp gives Jacksonville its first Triple-A team since 1968.

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Three of the Marlins' four minor league teams are in Florida. The Pensacola Blue Wahoos take over as the Double-A affiliate, while the Jupiter Hammerheads retain their Low-A affiliation.

The Hammerheads, Palm Beach Cardinals and St. Lucie Mets are grouped together with the Daytona Tortugas in the East Division of the yet-to-be-renamed Florida State League.