The Sacramento River Cats filed to end their affiliation with the A's on Monday, according to multiple sources, ending a 15-year relationship between the teams. Sacramento is expected to sign an agreement with the Giants, potentially as soon as Tuesday. The A's top option for a new Triple-A franchise appears to be Nashville.
Other available Pacific Coast League cities are Fresno — the Giants' longtime affiliate — plus Albuquerque, Colorado Springs and Oklahoma City.
The River Cats won seven PCL titles while affiliated with the A's, and led the minors in attendance eight times.
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Nashville will open a stadium in 2015. Though the A's no longer would benefit from the close proximity of a Triple-A franchise while at home, Nashville's central location would enable the team to call up players more quickly while on the road, and injured major leaguers still could go to nearby Class A Stockton for rehab assignments.
