This is an article I did not want to write. I was debating on whether to write about it at all since nothing’s happened. Yet. I also didn’t want to overshadow playoff races and record chases with something that’s flat-out crappy (and ironically on a day one of these teams clinches a playoff berth), but at the end of the day, after hearing multiple sources tell me over the last month or so, it’s time to address it publicly.

What is it?

Well, on Thursday, the Observer-Reporter of Washington, PA (home to the Frontier League’s Washington Wild Things) reported that the Cleburne Railroaders and Kane County Cougars are moving to the Frontier League (which will be renamed the National Association) in 2027.

The important caveat: an anonymous source was all that was cited. Nothing is done and nothing has been announced. Perhaps the AA hammers something out in the 11th hour and the two clubs are still around in 2027 and beyond. We simply don’t know for sure yet.

With that said, later last night, longtime American Association insider Kevin Luckow reported that a Frontier League official told him it is a done deal and that nothing will be announced until after the playoffs. But again, due to the delicate nature of the rumors, nothing has been announced yet, so I’ll still treat it as an “if” rather than “when” situation.

But enough smoke has drifted behind the scenes that some fire has finally been spotted, as the Observer-Reporter is the first legacy news source (i.e. not just some guys on social media) to report on that possibility. So that’s why I think it’s time to address it.

A Common Denominator

There is a common thread between Cleburne and Kane County: they are both owned by REV Entertainment. The Railroaders were the group’s first foray into independent baseball, with the purchase closing in June, 2023. The Cougars came into the fold in March, 2025.

This January, REV purchased two highly successful clubs in other leagues: the Long Island Ducks and the Schaumburg Boomers, a Frontier League club. The presence of Schaumburg in their portfolio absolutely is worth noting.

No firm reason has been given for a potential move, but gaining more voting power in a cheaper league (at least in terms of player salaries) is a very possible motive. if three of the four REV teams move to the Frontier, who’s to say that Long Island couldn’t follow suit afterwards?

I have heard nothing concrete to indicate that the Ducks are exploring a move, but if REV’s other three teams are in the fold, the questions will definitely be lingering there as well.

What About the AA?

If Cleburne and Kane County leave, it would objectively suck. Period. To have two franchises end the most stable period of any independent league in history by defecting to a league that is a step down on the field and long considered the number three independent/Partner League in the country would be a big blow prestige-wise. That’s a big hit to the league’s collective ego without even considering that one of those franchises is the two-time defending champion who’s led the American Association in attendance all six years they’ve been in it.

In the AA’s first 20 years, only one team has ever moved “down” a league, which was a wobbling Fort Worth moving to the short-lived North American League in 2012 (and folding in 2014) after they were tossed out for failing to meet the AA’s line of credit obligation. Meanwhile, three other franchises (El Paso, Pensacola, and Wichita) were all nudged out for affiliated ball (and new ballparks), while St. Paul moved the entire business side of the club fully intact to Triple-A in 2021.

Ironically, it was two separate four-team defections from the Northern League (one in 2006, the other in 2011) that built the majority of the AA lineup, but two teams voluntarily defecting from the American Association to another league would be a truly unprecedented move in league history.

On one hand, shedding Cleburne (who’s on pace for the lowest attendance by an AA team in a decade) would solve the persistent travel problem that has dogged the league for the last six years when they’ve been alone on an island 15 hours from their division rivals. The new footprint would basically be identical to the rather tight one enjoyed by the early-00’s Northern League, especially with Blaine, MN arriving in 2028.

On the other hand, setting the league’s southern border at Kansas City would likely rule out any form of southern expansion in the future, unless you can somehow bring in multiple clubs at the same time. Simply put, the Upper Midwest doesn’t have a lot of viable expansion options left outside of failed Northern League markets (Thunder Bay, Madison, Duluth-Superior, Rochester, MN).

Also, at the end of the day, a tighter footprint is not worth losing a flagship franchise in Kane County. Any true American Association fan would happily trade their team taking a very long bus ride to Texas every year to keep Kane County in the fold.

If this move happened, it would also probably mean the AA rolls out 10 teams in 2027, their fewest since fielding that number from 2006-10. Keeping the schedule at 100 games and how a 5-and-5 divisional alignment would work are both a little tricky as well (they played 96 games in that format from ’06-10), but those are questions to answer later.

First, the question needs to be answered on whether Cleburne and Kane County are definitely leaving. The Miles Wolff Cup will likely be raised before we officially know that answer. But the noise is getting a little louder.

We’ll have to see.

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