MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Twins and St. Paul Saints are officially partners.
On Wednesday, the teams confirmed that the Saints, who for over a quarter-century have been independent minor league baseball’s model franchise, will become the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in 2021. CHS Field, the Saints’ home stadium, is just 11 miles from Target Field, making this the closest partnership between a major league team and an affiliate.
The Twins can now save significant money on player transactions, including sending injured major leaguers on rehab assignments.
In a statement, Twins CEO Dave St. Peter said, “We have long admired the creative excellence of Marv Goldklang, Mike Veeck and their team in making the Saints one of America’s most successful minor league brands. We are incredibly excited for Minnesota baseball fans who can now watch some of their favorite Twins prospects wearing the Saints uniform while playing at gorgeous CHS Field. Simply put, this historic Twins-Saints partnership is great for baseball in the Twin Cities and beyond.”
Veeck said, “Our fans have been the lifeblood of this organization since 1993. “Marv, Bill (Murray), and I wouldn’t have done this deal without their blessing. When we moved into CHS Field they had one ask and that was not to change our identity. We made that promise in 2015 and we’re making that promise now. I’m excited for this partnership and I look forward to bringing our irreverent fun to the world of Triple-A Baseball.”
In 27 full seasons, the Saints have led their league in attendance 17 times and have been over 100 percent capacity in 15 of those seasons. Those include the five full seasons since CHS Field was built for the 2015 season.
Also, the Twins’ new double-A affiliate is in Wichita, Kansas. Class A affiliations remain in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Fort Myers, Florida.
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