The sign outside The Diamond still proclaims “Home of the Richmond Braves,“ but Richmond and its 24-year-old stadium will have a new professional baseball team beginning next spring.

An announcement of which Class AA Eastern League franchise is relocating to Richmond for next season will be made a week from today, sources said. Industry insiders identified Connecticut as the franchise on the move. Richmond’s new club will play at The Diamond for a minimum of two years while team owners and officials from the city and neighboring counties discuss a new ballpark. The franchise now in Connecticut is contractually bound to the San Francisco Giants through 2010.

Heading into the final weekend of minor-league baseball’s regular season, Connecticut has wrapped up the Eastern League Northern Division championship. But the Defenders are last among 12 league clubs in attendance. Connecticut, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants, is the Class AA franchise expected to relocate to Richmond next season. An announcement is expected next week.

January 2008: Atlanta Braves announce that their Class AAA franchise would relocate following the 2008 season to Gwinnett County, Ga., a move influenced primarily by the Braves’ dissatisfaction with The Diamond. . . . A group of local investors, which later becomes Richmond Baseball Club LC, investigates the purchase of a Class AA franchise. . . . The Atlantic League, an independent league (members unaffiliated with Major League Baseball organizations), proposes an expansion team for Richmond.

January 2008: Atlanta Braves announce that their Class AAA franchise would relocate following the 2008 season to Gwinnett County, Ga., a move influenced primarily by the Braves’ dissatisfaction with The Diamond. . . . A group of local investors, which later becomes Richmond Baseball Club LC, investigates the purchase of a Class AA franchise. . . . The Atlantic League, an independent league (members unaffiliated with Major League Baseball organizations), proposes an expansion team for Richmond.

Mostly because of geography, Richmond baseball fans may not initially be energized by the prospect of a San Francisco Giants affiliate relocating to The Diamond next season. But in terms of up-and-coming talent, San Francisco’s minor-league system was rated fifth among all organizations in April by Baseball America, behind Texas, Florida, Oakland and Tampa Bay. Giants farm clubs have distinguished themselves since those rankings were released. From Class AAA Fresno in the Pacific Coast League to Class A Salem-Keizer in the short-season Northwest League, each farm club is winning.

* heading into weekend play

Behind-the-scenes work apparently has already started as The Diamond readies for Richmond’s next professional baseball team. Sources said it will be the Class AA franchise now based in Connecticut. Those involved with the relocation process have been told by Minor League Baseball and the Eastern League not to comment publicly on the move until it is formally announced, Eastern League President Joe McEacharn said.

If the Connecticut franchise moves to Richmond next year—and that seems the most likely scenario—San Francisco’s Class AA club and its current fan base will likely part on a good note. The Connecticut franchise hasn’t made the Eastern League playoffs since 2002, the last season it was affiliated with the New York Yankees. But heading into last night’s activity, the Defenders were 49-34 and leading the Eastern League North Division. Connecticut has several well-regarded young prospects, especially on its pitching staff, and is led for the first season by Steve Decker, a former big-league catcher.

Connecticut has several well-regarded young prospects, especially on its pitching staff, and is led for the first season by Steve Decker, a former big-league catcher.

The Eastern League Board of Directors met yesterday to discuss which of its 12 franchises is headed to Richmond next season. If there was a resolution, the Eastern League president chose not to publicly share it. “I have nothing to comment on. Nothing to report,“ Joe McEacharn said. McEacharn assured Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones in mid-May that an Eastern League franchise will be at The Diamond next season.

The Eastern League still intends to relocate one of its 12 Class AA franchises to Richmond next season despite yesterday’s withdrawal of the Shockoe Center proposal and its $60 million ballpark. “Nothing changes,“ said Joe McEacharn, Eastern League president. “It’s more information that we continue to absorb. This does not affect our commitment to be there in 2010.“

Bryan Bostic said yesterday that Richmond Baseball Club LC was about to close the deal to purchase the Double-A Connecticut Defenders on May 13. Then, “things happened,“ said Bostic, who was RBC’s leader. RBC did not meet the $15.4 million sale price of the Eastern League team by the May 31 deadline. The deal died. Bostic was the face of Richmond’s quest to secure a locally owned baseball franchise for Richmond. He said RBC included more than three dozen investors.

The owner of the Eastern League’s Connecticut Defenders has requested permission from Minor League Baseball to explore the Richmond market for the purpose of potentially relocating his franchise.

The guy with the simple first name and befuddling last name already delivered one bold stroke in Richmond’s quest for a professional baseball franchise. Eastern League President Joe McEacharn, who pronounces his last name mc-KATH-ren, assured Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones that a Class AA franchise will play at The Diamond next season. Now come the tough parts: determining the Eastern League franchise that will relocate, cobbling together an ownership group with local flavor, brokering a purchase, then building consensus for a long-term Richmond ballpark solution as the kicker.