CHICAGO (AP) -- The Chicago Cubs on Wednesday confirmed that the Kane County Cougars have become their Class A affiliate, marking an end to their relationship with the Peoria Chiefs.
Both the Cubs and the Cougars, who play outside Geneva in northern Illinois, said they have a two-year deal.
Earlier Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced they signed an agreement to make the Peoria club their Class A affiliate through 2016.
There had been reports in recent weeks the Cubs were making the move, but neither team would confirm the information.
Cubs President Theo Epstein said the move was made because he believes in having as many affiliates as possible near the home city.
"It just creates a lot of efficiencies with rehabs, and allows front office and staff to see the team play a little bit more often," he said. "I hope it can be a win-win. I want to thank Peoria for everything they did for us. That was a great relationship too."
Kane County had been part of the Kansas City Royals system.
Cougars general manager Curtis Haug said the decision to change affiliation was not an easy one after the two-year relationship with the Royals.
"We are extremely excited about our new relationship with the Chicago Cubs," said Haug. "We believe that the Cubs organization and their philosophies about the minor leagues, including scouting, player development, and involvement in the community, are a fantastic fit for our franchise."
Cougar officials say the agreement with the Cubs does not affect the ownership, management or front office staff of the team, which began operations in 1991.
Also on Wednesday, the St. Louis Cardinals announced they signed an agreement to make the Peoria club their Class A affiliate through 2016.
Cardinals Senior General Manager John Mozeliak said in a statement the deal with the Chiefs will give St. Louis better presence in an area with many Cardinals fans.
The Chiefs were a Cardinals minor league affiliate from 1995-2004 and for several years in the 1950s. Yadier Molina is among a handful of current Cardinals who played in Peoria.
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Sunday, May 19 2013 10:15 PM EDT2013-05-20 02:15:36 GMT
Daniel Murphy hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning and the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs 4-3 on Sunday for their first series win at Wrigley Field since 2007.
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Saturday, May 18 2013 11:08 PM EDT2013-05-19 03:08:37 GMT
Scott Feldman pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning and drove in two runs with a big two-out double, helping the Chicago Cubs beat the New York Mets 8-2 on Saturday.
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Wednesday, May 15 2013 11:19 PM EDT2013-05-16 03:19:36 GMT
Jeff Samardzija hit a two-run home run and pitched eight strong innings for his first win since opening day and the Chicago Cubs beat the Colorado Rockies 6-3 on Wednesday night.
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Wednesday, May 15 2013 8:42 AM EDT2013-05-15 12:42:09 GMT
Carlos Gonzalez homered twice and finished with a career-high five hits to lead the struggling Colorado Rockies to a 9-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night.
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Monday, May 13 2013 11:24 PM EDT2013-05-14 03:24:50 GMT
Travis Wood pitched seven scoreless innings and the Chicago Cubs came within two outs of their first shutout since last August in a 9-1 win over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.
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Monday, May 13 2013 7:06 PM EDT2013-05-13 23:06:49 GMT
Slugging first baseman Anthony Rizzo and the Chicago Cubs agreed Monday to a $41 million, seven-year contract that could be worth up to $68 million over nine seasons.
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Dominant early, Stephen Strasburg fell apart after one of Ryan Zimmerman's two errors and wound up dropping his fifth consecutive decision, an 8-2 loss Saturday to the Chicago Cubs
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Saturday, May 11 2013 12:12 PM EDT2013-05-11 16:12:33 GMT
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Monday, May 20 2013 10:42 PM EDT2013-05-21 02:42:18 GMT
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Monday, May 20 2013 10:28 PM EDT2013-05-21 02:28:23 GMT
After Assemblyman Vito Lopez resigned over claims of serial sexual harassment of female staffers, attention turned to whether powerful Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver should continue his leadership.
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Monday, May 20 2013 7:05 PM EDT2013-05-20 23:05:15 GMT
A private country club opened its golf course to the public for a charity tournament to raise money for Superstorm Sandy relief. The Westlake Golf and Country Club in Jackson hosted the event on May 13,
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Monday, May 20 2013 6:30 PM EDT2013-05-20 22:30:03 GMT
Repair work on tracks that were damaged in last week's train collision has progressed quickly enough that the MTA predicts restoring full service along the New Haven line by Wednesday morning.
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Monday, May 20 2013 6:05 PM EDT2013-05-20 22:05:22 GMT
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As a family prepared for the funeral of a Hofstra junior killed by a cop's bullet during a standoff with an armed intruder, questions remain about how police handled the situation.
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