Mobile BayBears On The Move?

The Mobile BayBears are up for sale and could be on the move.

Southern League president Lori Webb confirmed there is a potential buyer for the team, the Angels’ Double-A affiliate.

WHNT-TV in Huntsville, Ala., reported earlier this month that the Arizona investment group BallCorps LLC, was looking for investors to buy the BayBears, and that a possible relocation spot could be Madison, Ala., with a new ballpark perhaps built by 2019.

Madison is considered part of the Huntsville metropolitan area. Huntsville had a team for 24 years before the Huntsville Stars relocated to Biloxi, Miss., in 2015 as the Shuckers, an affiliate of the Brewers. Currently, the closest Southern League team to Madison is Birmingham, located about 100 miles away.

The Southern League, Minor League Baseball and MLB all have to approve a sale before relocation is officially proposed, but there is already interest to move the team.

The BayBears have played at Hank Aaron Stadium in Mobile, Ala. since 1997. Mobile is last in attendance in the Southern League for the third year in a row.

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The last time a team in the Southern League was sold was in 2015 when Ken Babby bought the Jacksonville Suns (now the Jumbo Shrimp), a Marlins affiliate.