The team's name was announced in July 1996, having been selected in a name-the-team contest.[2] Mobile mayor Mike Dow announced the name at that year's Mobile Fourth of July fireworks display.[3] In September 1996, the BayBears signed an affiliation agreement with the San Diego Padres.[4]
In November 2017, BayBears owners Michael Savit and HWS Group, closed on the sale of the team to BallCorps LLC.[5] The team will continue to play in Mobile through the 2019 season, but will relocate to Madison, Alabama, in 2020, where they will play in a newly-built ballpark.[6][7] Upon relocation, the team will be called the Rocket City Trash Pandas.[1] The name is a reference to both the area's association with the space industry and the determination and ingenuity of raccoons.[1]
The BayBears played their final game on September 2, 2019.[8] They were defeated by the Tennessee Smokies, 5–4, before a crowd of 1,554 people.[9]
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