RailRiders Sign Major League Baseball’s PDL

The Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have officially accepted their invitation to remain the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees after signing Major League Baseball’s Professional Development License (PDL). The 10-year agreement will keep Yankees Triple-A baseball in Scranton Wilkes-Barre through the 2030 season.

“We are so excited to sign the PDL and formally accept the New York Yankees invitation to remain their Triple-A affiliate for the foreseeable future,” RailRiders President John Adams said. “The Yankees brand is second to none and we are fortunate to be able to call them our partner for many more years to come.”

Under the new PDL system, MLB will govern all aspects of MiLB moving forward. Back on December 9, each MLB club invited four minor league affiliates to join their farm systems. MiLB clubs were given a February 10 deadline to accept the terms of the PDL after receiving the governing documents in mid-January. Under the new PDL system, all affiliation agreements between MLB and MiLB clubs will be 10 years in length.

“We just can’t wait to have the Yankees and our fans back at PNC Field playing games again,” Adams said. “We look forward to the long-term stability that the new PDL provides and are excited to continue to highlight Scranton Wilkes-Barre as the best market in MiLB.”

Under the new PDL structure, MiLB will feature 120 teams competing across four levels, Triple-A, Double-A, High-A and Low-A, a change from the previous structure that included 160 clubs competing across six levels. The Yankees farm system is rounded out by the Double-A Somerset Patriots, High-A Hudson Valley Renegades and Low-A Tampa Tarpons.

Additional information regarding RailRiders’ 2021 schedule, league structure, coaching staff, roster and ticketing procedures will be announced in the near future.