SEATTLE, Wash. – Seattle Mariners Executive Vice President & General Manager of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto and Mariners Director of Player Development Andy McKay announced today that the club has invited the following four communities to be Mariners affiliates in Major League Baseball’s new player development structure.

• Tacoma Rainiers (AAA)
• Arkansas Travelers (AA)
• Everett AquaSox (Advanced A)
• Modesto Nuts (A)

“We are pleased to invite these four great communities to continue to work with us to develop the next generation of Mariners players,” Dipoto said.

“All four of these organizations and ownership groups have been outstanding partners to us,” McKay said. “We look forward to continuing to work with them going forward.”

The Rainiers and AquaSox have been the Mariners affiliates since 1995, making the 2021 season the 27th consecutive year these Northwest neighbors will be professional baseball partners with Seattle.

Tacoma has been invited to return as the AAA affiliate, the same role they’ve held since 1995.

Everett has been invited to become the Mariners Advanced A affiliate and move to a full-season schedule beginning in the 2021 season after previously being the club’s short-A partner.

The Travelers and Nuts have been Mariners affiliates since 2017.

Arkansas has been invited to return as the team’s AA affiliate, while Modesto has been invited to return as the Mariners full season A affiliate.

What they’re saying…

Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards: “The Tacoma Rainiers are part of the fabric of our community, and we are delighted that they will continue to play for devoted fans of all ages at Tacoma’s Cheney Stadium.”

Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin: “This news is a home run for Everett! We are thrilled to continue our partnership with the Seattle Mariners and for a longer season of rooting for the Aquasox at Funko Field.”

North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith: “There’s no doubt we are excited about the relationship agreement between the Seattle Mariners and Arkansas Travelers. The quality of baseball that the Mariners want and the community expects makes this a great partnership that we hope to see continue for years to come.”

Modesto City Manager Joe Lopez: “The City of Modesto is very excited to continue our relationship as an affiliate of the Mariners. Modesto loves baseball and we love the Nuts! We look forward to working together to continue the great tradition of baseball in Modesto and developing players for the Mariners!”