Angels Juggle Affiliates, Move Class-A Club to Boise

The Angels haven’t signed any free agents this winter, but they have changed the alignment of their minor league clubs.

The Edmonton Trappers of the triple-A Pacific Coast League will remain the Angels’ top affiliate and Midland of the Texas League will again be their double-A club. But the Angels have switched their Class A Northwest affiliation from Bend, Ore., to Boise, Idaho. Their agreements with two other Class-A clubs, Palm Springs of the California League and Quad Cities of the Midwest League, are still in effect. The Angels also operate a Rookie League team in Mesa, Ariz.

Bill Bavasi, the Angels’ director of minor league operations, said the switch from Bend to Boise was made because of an inadequate ballpark in the Oregon city.

“We signed on after ’87 for the ’88 season with the understanding that if some improvements were made related to safety prior to the ’88 season, they could expect us to stay for ’89 and ‘90,” he said. “The things that were supposed to be done, weren’t. We gave them a second chance this season but the changes still weren’t made. Boise was the best opportunity, best ballpark and best operation.”

The Angels will return to Edmonton next season, but with some reservations. Travel is a major expense because of the great distance between the northern Alberta city and most other PCL cities, and the stadium is not up to standards.

The Edmonton City Council has been reluctant to allocate taxpayers’ money for improving the facility because the stadium and team are owned by Peter Pocklington, who also owns the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League.

“Every year we look at the situation and certainly, we try to see if there’s anything available,” Bavasi said. However, for the Angels to switch their PCL affiliation, another major league team would have had to end its PCL agreement, and none did.