Red Sox Organization Announces Major Upcoming Change

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Mike El-Far | Last updated Apr 10, 2025 6:08 PM ET

Every MLB team has four different minor league affiliates; those cover the A, Hi-A, AA, and AAA levels.

For the Boston Red Sox, they have tried to keep their affiliates as geographically close as possible. Their two highest affiliates are located in New England; in Worcester, MA and Portland, ME.

Also, all four affiliates share the same color scheme as their parent club (blue/white/red) as another factor to keep the fanbase aligned.

Change through the Red Sox affiliates have not been plentiful. While the Triple-A team moved from Pawtucket, RI to Worcester, MA in 2021, that was the only major change since 2009. A very big change is on the horizon for the 2026 season.

Salem Red Sox to Undergo Exciting Rebrand Ahead of the 2026 Season!

More information: https://t.co/ACNUAXaVVA pic.twitter.com/d3xuQs8XNT
— The Salem Red Sox (@salemredsox) April 10, 2025

On Thursday, the Salem Red Sox announced that they would be rebranding after the 2025 season. While the team will stay in Salem, they will shed the Red Sox name in 2026 for an alternative that will be announced at a later date.

With this change happening, only three organizations will have multiple affiliates that share the name of their parent club. In fact, 21 of the 30 MLB teams have zero affiliates that share the name of their parent club.

The team in Salem has had many names throughout their existence, with the most recent being the Salem Avalanche (1995-2008). Expect whatever the name is to be eye-catching, as recent names to enter minor league baseball include Trash Pandas and Mighty Mussels.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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