Major League Baseball on Friday unveiled its new alignment for its slimmed down 120-team minor-league operation, focusing on decreased travel while moving the Triple-A teams closer to the parent clubs when possible.
Toledo, Detroit's Triple-A partner since 1987, remains as the organization's top prospect rung, but now will join the new 20-team Triple-A East league. The Mud Hens had long been part of a 14-team International League.
The new league will be divided into three divisions, with Toledo joined by Columbus, Indianapolis, Iowa, Louisville, Omaha and St. Paul in the Midwest division. Other teams in the league include Buffalo, Lehigh Valley, Rochester, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Syracuse and Worcester in the Northeast division, and Charlotte, Durham, Gwinnett, Jacksonville, Memphis, Nashville and Norfolk in the Southeast division.