After a two-year affiliation with the Burlington Bees, the Oakland A's are moving on to a new Midwest League affiliation for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The Beloit Snappers will serve as the A's Low-A affiliate. It is the first time the A's have been affiliated with the Snappers, who had previous affiliate relationships with the Milwaukee Brewers (1982-2004) and the Minnesota Twins (2005-2012).

In a press release announcing the new affiliation agreement, A's General Manager Billy Beane said: “We are delighted to welcome Beloit to our minor league system with today’s announcement. It is an established Single-A market with a strong baseball community and management team. We look forward to a very successful partnership.”

The A's have had a Midwest League affiliate since 2003. Oakland was affiliate with the Kane County Cougars from 2003-2010 before switching affiliations to the Burlington Bees in 2011. The Bees made the Midwest League playoffs in each of their two seasons as an A's affiliate.

This will be the only affiliation switch for the A's heading into the 2013 season. They already signed player development contracts with the Sacramento River Cats, Midland Rockhounds, Stockton Ports and Vermont Lake Monsters before the start of the 2012 off-season. The A's also operate affiliates at their Arizona minor league complex in Phoenix and their Dominican Academy in Santo Domingo.