MADISON- After the 2020 season was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rocket City Trash Pandas are set to play their inaugural season in 2021 and will play as the Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Major League Baseball American League Western Division team officially invited the Trash Pandas to be a part of its player development pipeline this week.

“The Angels have one of the elite player development systems in our game and the Trash Pandas are proud to be members of the family,” said Ralph Nelson, Trash Pandas’ President and CEO.

The 2002 World Series Champion Angels have structured its minor league program with four affiliates- Salt Lake Bees (Triple-A), Trash Pandas (Double-A), Tri-City Devils (High-A) and Inland Empire 66ers (Low-A).

“I would like to thank the ownership groups and staffs of each of these great franchises for their help in establishing these long-term partnerships. We would also like to express our gratitude to the residents of Salt Lake City (Bees), Madison (Trash Pandas), Pasco, Wash. (Dust Devils) and San Bernardino, Cal. (Inland Empire 66ers) for welcoming Angels Baseball into your communities,” said Perry Minasian, Angels’ General Manager.

Nelson, who has headed up the Trash Pandas efforts in Madison since the beginning phases of setting the team in Madison, said of the Angels’ announcement, “When we started talks to purchase the Mobile BayBears and move them to the Rocket City, one of the most attractive aspects of the deal was their affiliation with the Angels, an organization I have admired as long as I’ve been in baseball.”

The Professional Development License from the Angels to the Trash Pandas is a 10-year contract, which will run through the 2030 season. The signing of the 10-year deal will come at a later date.

Information on the Trash Pandas, including tickets for the 2021 season, is available at www.trashpandasbaseball.com.