Modesto Loses Its Longtime Minor League Baseball Team | KQED

"Minor league baseball has undergone major changes over the last five years. Major League Baseball took over and reorganized the minors in 2021, cutting ties with dozens of teams that had been affiliated with big league clubs. At the time, Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred cited several reasons for the decision - the need to fix older, rundown ballparks, improving training facilities for players,"

"At the same time, Diamond Baseball Holdings, a private equity firm, jumped into the minor league ownership game. They partnered with Major League Baseball to advise them on a new strategy for the minor leagues. That led to the purchase of several minor league clubs. Now, Diamond Baseball owns more than 40 minor league teams, including several in California. In late 2024, Diamond Baseball Holdings announced the purchase of the Modesto Nuts, the Seattle Mariners Single-A affiliate."

Major League Baseball reorganized the minors in 2021, severing affiliations with dozens of teams to address aging ballparks, inadequate training facilities, heavy travel demands, and an oversupply of players unlikely to reach the majors. Private equity firm Diamond Baseball Holdings partnered with MLB on the new minor-league strategy and purchased many clubs, now owning more than 40 teams, including several in California. Diamond purchased the Modesto Nuts in late 2024; the team will move to San Bernardino. Longtime Modesto fans face the loss of a team with roots dating back to the 1940s.

Read at Kqed