Diablos won’t move to Las Cruces

The El Paso Diablos have been a Sun City tradition for decades. But, with Triple-A baseball headed to downtown the Diablos are seemingly headed out.

“There’s new ownerships looking to relocate the team,” Diablos General Manager Matt LaBranche said. “Nothing is etched in stone right now.”

Some die hard Diablos fans don’t want to see their team leave Cohen Stadium, but it’s inevitable. The team will be looking for a new city, and sadly the it has no chance to stay in the Borderland as a possible move to Las Cruces is completely out of the question.

“It’s (Las Cruces) just not big enough for an American Association franchise,” LaBranche explained. “The cost that is associated with running the team it’s just not an option for us as the market is not big enough for us.

With Las Cruces out of the equation, then where could the Diablos move to next?

“It would be a market size or market like El Paso or other cities in our league like Lincoln, Nebraska or St. Paul Minnesota,” LaBranche said. “It would be a medium market that are media affiliated markets but the development groups we’re talking to think it will be a Texas city.”

There is the saying, “All good things must come to an end,” and it seems as each day passes by, it’s one fewer day we have at Cohen Stadium with the Diablos.