After the Syracuse Chiefs ended their 10 season relationship with the Washington Nationals, the franchise needed a new Triple-A affiliate. As the minor league merry-go-round ended, they ended up with the Fresno Grizzlies.
The Fresno outfit has just concluded a four-season deal with the World Series champion Houston Astros. And before that, they were the San Francisco Giants, who won two World Series in that time, so the Nats will hope that some of that magic rubs off of them.
But this new affiliate represents a huge geographical, and therefore a big logistical challenge for the Nationals.