Frederick Keys And Aberdeen IronBirds Trade Places

Two (former) Orioles affiliates will trade paces in 2026. The Aberdeen IronBirds of the South Atlantic League will move down to the MLB Draft League, and the Frederick Keys will move the opposite way.

The other day the moves were announced by both clubs. Attain Sports Partners is the owner of both clubs.

In 2020, when 42 MiLB clubs were cut in a money grab move by the greedy MLB owners, the Aberdeen IronBirds were moved from the New York-Penn League to the South Atlantic League. The Fredrick Keys were one of the teams that were cut from affiliated baseball as they became a part of the MLB Draft League, a league invented by MLB owners so they could keep an eye on talented players without having to pay for them.

In 2022, Attain Sports Partners added another club to its arsenal. The owner group established a new team in the “independent” Atlantic League: the Spire City Ghost Hounds. The team’s inaugural season was 2023. It shared the ballpark with the Frederick Keys, which was rather easy as the MLB Draft League is a short season circuit. The Ghost Hounds went on an hiatus in 2024 and 2025 as the Atlantic League had an odd number of teams.

With the Keys moving to affiliated ball, one may wonder what will happen to the Ghost Hounds. Is it possible for both clubs to have fitting schedules? We all know that natural grass needs some rest at times. When it is in constant use, the turf of Harry Grove Stadium may be ruined. Artificial turf would be a solution.

But don’t be surprised if Attain Sports Partners withdraws the Ghost Hounds from the Atlantic League or moves the team elsewhere.