Diamond Baseball Holdings is delving into the unaffiliated ranks for the first time, acquiring the Trenton Thunder of the MLB Draft League. However, local officials hope the sale positions the franchise to return to affiliated baseball. The Thunder had served as the Double-A home for the Tigers (1994), Red Sox (1995-2002) and Yankees (2003-20) before joining the MLBDL in 2021 following MLB’s minor-league reorganization.
“This change in ownership is really setting us up to be in the best position to become affiliated with a major league team again,” Executive Director/Mercer County Park Commission Joseph Pizza told local outlet MercerMe. “This is what all the work we’ve been doing is about.”
As of now, though, the team will continue to play in the six-team MLBDL, with its existing front office remaining in place. The Thunder’s ballpark is undergoing a $25M renovation.
“The Trenton Thunder are a great fit for the DBH roster because of their incredible ballpark, loyal fan base and strong public-private partnership with Mercer County,” said Peter Freund, CEO of DBH. “We have been focusing on using our scale to take the fan experience to the next level through investment in ballpark upgrades, activating our venues more and more, and supporting our local front offices with resources and expertise. We’re excited to do that in Trenton, which already has such an impressive foundation to build upon.”
DBH has 48 affiliated MiLB teams in its portfolio, two shy of its current cap of 50.