IOWA - Three Iowa minor league baseball teams are being offered invitations to be affiliated with Major League teams, while two are not.
The Cedar Rapids Kernels, Quad Cities River Bandits and Iowa Cubs in Des Moines received the invitations, while the Burlington Bees and Clinton LumberKings did not.
The invitations were announced Wednesday.
Major League Baseball previously announced plans to cut affiliation with at least 42 teams when its agreement with minor league teams expired this year.
Minor league teams and cities across the country had been waiting for months to find out their future.
The Iowa Cubs in Des Moines will continue as the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. The Cedar Rapids Kernels have been offered High-A affiliate status by the Minnesota Twins, a step up from the team's previous status as a Low-A affiliate. The Quad Cities River Bandits have been offered High-A affiliations by the Kansas City Royals. The River Bandits were previously associated with the Houston Astros.