Double-A Mississippi Braves announce move to Columbus, Georgia
The Mississippi Braves, Atlanta’s Double-A affiliate, announced Tuesday that they will relocate to Columbus, Ga., following the 2024 season.
The Southern League franchise, commonly referred to as the M-Braves, have played at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., since 2005. Previously owned by the Atlanta Braves, the M-Braves were purchased by Diamond Baseball Holdings (DBH) prior to the 2022 season. DBH, a subsidiary of sports entertainment company Endeavor, currently owns 29 Minor League Baseball teams (including every team in the Atlanta Braves’ farm system).
The M-Braves’ announcement of their impending move came after a pair of significant votes by the Columbus City Council. Last month, the Council approved a funding plan for a massive renovation of Golden Park; on Tuesday, a Golden Park lease agreement with DBH was approved.
Golden Park’s impending renovation will bring it in line with MLB’s facility requirements for Minor League ballparks. Golden Park will also have the distinction of being one of the Minors’ oldest ballparks, as it opened in 1926. For nearly six decades, beginning in 1951, Golden Park regularly hosted a Minor League Baseball team. The most recent pro team to to play there, the Columbus Catfish, relocated to Bowling Green, Ky., following the 2008 season.
The M-Braves’ departure from Pearl -- located just outside of Jackson -- will leave the state of Mississippi with just one Minor League team, the Biloxi Shuckers. The Braves’ system, meanwhile, will become more consolidated with the addition of Columbus. High-A Rome and Triple-A Gwinnett are also based in Georgia, while the Single-A Augusta GreenJackets are located just across the Savannah River in North Augusta, S.C.
In an open letter posted on the M-Braves’ website, the team expressed gratitude to “Pearl, the surrounding Jackson community, and the state of Mississippi for the incredible support for the franchise over the past 19 years. …We are hopeful that is not the end of professional baseball in Pearl, and our organization will support any efforts to bring a team to Trustmark Park in the future.”
The M-Braves' 2024 home opener is scheduled for April 9, with the team taking on the Shuckers.