River Bandits extend deal with Cardinals

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By Steve Batterson | Tuesday, February 5, 2008 11:04 PM CST | () comments

The road to Busch Stadium will continue to run through the Quad-Cities for minor-league baseball players in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Dave Heller, managing partner of the Quad-Cities River Bandits, and Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak signed a two-year extension of the existing agreement between the clubs during a Tuesday news conference at Modern Woodmen Park.

Player development contracts — the document that ties major-league clubs to their minor-league affiliates — can be two or four years in length. With new ownership operating the Quad-Cities’ Midwest League franchise, Mozeliak views a two-year deal as the most prudent approach for both parties.

“We’re coming off of a four-year agreement and at this point, it seems to make a lot of sense to go with two years to make certain that all parties are comfortable with each other,” Mozeliak said.

“We like it here, our people like it here and we are excited to continue our relationship with Dave and his people. We are excited about the plans he has for this affiliate and we are showing our commitment by renewing our agreement. Fans will see a different product here than they have in the past.”

Mozeliak was joined by Heller and Cardinals director of minor league operations John Vuch at the news conference.

The Quad-Cities franchise has been a St. Louis affiliate since 2005 and Tuesday’s agreement extends that relationship through the 2010 season.

Heller, who along with business partner Bob Herrfeldt took over ownership of the club in December, called the agreement “a great day for baseball in the Quad-Cities.”

“One of the real attractions of buying this club was the opportunity to be a part of the Cardinals family,’’ Heller said. “I believe it is one of the finest organizations in all of baseball.”

The two-year extension gives Heller time to work through some concerns St. Louis has with the quality of the playing surface at Modern Woodmen Park.

“We have a significant investment in the players we draft and send here. We want to make certain that the proper work environment exists,” Mozeliak said.

Heller said a desire to improve the playing surface was among the reasons the River Bandits hired Ben Kratz as the facility’s new groundskeeper. Kratz spent six years on the staff at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Neb., the home of the Triple-A Omaha Royals and annual host of the NCAA College World Series.

“Nobody benefits from a poor playing surface, not the players and not the club attempting to host games,” Heller said. “It’s something that is among our priorities.”

That list includes strengthening ties between the local club and the Cardinals.

Heller promised increased cross promotion between the organizations, including giveaways that include tickets to games in St. Louis and Cardinals souvenirs. The Cardinals are committed to making their players more visible within the community.

“We’re proud to be a Cardinals affiliate and we will embrace that,’’ Heller said.

Mozeliak welcomes the opportunity to strengthen the brands of both organizations within the Quad-Cities.

“The proximity of three of our minor-league clubs to St. Louis is important to us and we are very pleased to see some Cardinal red in the colors on the new uniforms in the Quad-Cities,” Mozeliak said.

In the first three years of the current four-year contract between the organizations, St. Louis-affiliated Quad-Cities teams have had a combined record of 226-189 and have reached the Midwest League playoffs each season.

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.