Fresno Grizzlies may not renew partnership with Giants

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A baseball move Monday in Sacramento could set off a chain of events that ultimately would affect the Fresno Grizzlies.

Multiple reports have the Sacramento River Cats ending their relationship with the A's and that would create a domino effect that would have the Giants leaving Fresno to go north.

Pacific Coast League teams without an affiliation can apply for new ones with the league office on Tuesday.

Both the SF Chronicle and CSN Bay Area report the deals are just about done. That would end a 17-year relationship with the Fresno club. The River Cats ended their 15-year relationship with the A's by making this move.

Nothing is official yet, but all signs point to these series of moves being set in motion as early as Tuesday.

San Francisco Giants Vice President and Assistant General Manager Bobby Evans was interviewed over the weekend on PowerTalk 96.7 and it aired on the Bill Manders program where he laid out the situation regarding the Giants' partnership with the city of Fresno.

"We'll see, I mean it's not an easy decision for us. We have a lot of factors we have to consider. But, hopefully in the coming weeks we'll draw that to a conclusion one way or the other. There's an open mind, there's a due process that we need to do. And again, we've received a lot of benefits over the years in Fresno and that's not taking it lightly, but at the same time we do need to understand what our options are which we will won't know what those options are until sometime next week."

If the Giants leave Fresno, options include the Brewers, Rockies, Astros, A's and Dodgers.

On Monday afternoon, Fresno Grizzlies Executive Vice President Derek Franks issued the following statement on behalf of the organization:

Our organization remains committed to the San Francisco Giants. The timeline for open negotiation on a new player development contract begins Tuesday and we're aware of the possibilities in play. However, we continue to seek a renewal with the Giants. Baseball in the Central Valley has deep-rooted heritage and Chukchansi Park continues to be a first-rate facility for Triple-A baseball. We look forward to opening our 18th season of Triple-A affiliated baseball on April 9, 2015 in Downtown Fresno.

A few hours later, Mayor Ashley Swearengin issued the following statement on her discussion with the San Francisco Giants about keeping their Triple-A affiliation with the Fresno Grizzlies:

The City had a very productive, two hour meeting today with the leadership of the Giants. We made it very clear that the Fresno Region is extremely committed to their success in our community.

While we know they are evaluating their options for their contract renewal, we believe the City has much to offer their program, and we are prepared to work with the Giants to make sure they have what they need to be successful in Fresno.

The Giants and the City agreed to continue to talk throughout the rest of this week and next as the deadline approaches for their decision.