Savannah Class A minor-league team moving to Columbia

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The New York Mets’ affiliate in the South Atlantic League is moving from Savannah, Georgia to Columbia.

Hardball Capital CEO Jason Freier announced the move on Thursday at the site of a new ballpark that’s being built for the Class A franchise. The Columbia team is expected to be ready to play next season.

The move returns a Mets’ farm team to South Carolina’s capital, where the Columbia Mets and Capital City Bombers played from 1983 until 2005 when the franchise moved to Greenville.

The new Spirit Communications Park is expected to cost $37 million and be a key piece in the redevelopment of a 165-acre section to be called Columbia Common.