The Cakes are taking a walk.
Wichita, Kansas, Mayor Jeff Longwell confirmed Thursday that the Baby Cakes have filed an application with Minor League Baseball as the team seeks to relocate to his city.
Sources have told WWL-TV that the planned departure of New Orleans’ Triple-A team for the Midwest has set the stage for a group of investors looking to purchase a Double-A team as a replacement.
Jefferson Parish officials told The New Orleans Advocate that they were notified of the team's plans Tuesday.
Parish President Mike Yenni told the paper that he plans to work to make sure the stadium continues to be used for events and doesn't go dark.
"I believe we will be able to find other uses such as high school baseball, college football, concerts," Yenni said. The venue has hosted those types of events in the past.
“We are sad to know that the Baby Cakes will be relocating to another city ... and it is our intention to find another team to play here,” said Kyle France, chairman of the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, which manages the stadium where the team plans. "In the meantime, we will continue our strong working relationship with the team ownership and will fulfill all contractual obligations through the end of the lease terms.”
The proposed move will not take place immediately.
The relocation application must be approved by Minor League Baseball and the Pacific Coast League and be reviewed by the Baseball Office of the Commissioner. An official decision is expected later this year.
That means the move would not happen after the 2019 or 2020 season. The Baby Cakes have a lease for the Shrine on Airline until 2021.
Longwell, speaking during a press conference at Wichita’s 84-year-old Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, said the effort to get a Triple-A team has been a three-year process. He said the current stadium will be torn down and a new $80 million, 7,000-seat stadium is expected to take its place.
He added that the area would be more of an entertainment district than just a stadium.
“This is going to become one of the great gathering places,” Longwell said. “People who are lukewarm baseball fans can come here and have a great evening.”
A new name will replace the Baby Cakes moniker as well, he said, eliciting laughs from the crowd.
The Baby Cakes arrived in New Orleans from Denver in 1993 when the team was still known as the Zephyrs. A moved from UNO to the stadium on Airline Highway happened in 1997.
Stay with Eyewitness News on WWL-TV and WWLTV.com for more on this developing story.