JETHAWKS IN RUNNING TO BE DODGERS AFFILIATE.

Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- With a deadline fast approaching, the JetHawks remain among four unsigned California League teams and find themselves at the epicenter of rumors that have the Dodgers coming to the Antelope Valley.

The deadline mandated by the National Association -- baseball's governing body at all levels of affiliated pro ball -- for minor league affiliates to sign Player Development Contracts with major league teams is Saturday.

JetHawks General Manager Brad Seymour said he would not comment on any aspect of the negotiations. ``We're in the middle of negotiations, and we don't comment on (ongoing) negotiations,'' he said.

Public comments by Dodgers officials expressing their wish to return to the California League have fueled a negotiation logjam, with teams unwilling to sign new deals until the Dodgers make a move.

If deals aren't reached by Saturday, National Association officials will intervene, placing major league teams in available facilities.

The advanced Class-A JetHawks were an Arizona Diamondbacks affiliate the past six seasons and a Seattle Mariners farm club from 1996 to 2000.

Lancaster, Inland Empire, High Desert and Visalia remained unsigned as of Wednesday afternoon.

attendance has dropped precipitously since their 1996 inaugural season.

Inland Empire, which before 2001 was a Dodgers affiliate, is widely considered to be the leading candidate to land the California League's most coveted player-development deal.

If the JetHawks don't land the Dodgers, they would likely re-sign with the Diamondbacks or the Mariners. The Boston Red Sox, who have yet to reach an agreement since losing their Wilmington, N.C., contract in the Carolina League, are a possibility too.

gideon.rubin(at)dailynews.com

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