The Chattanooga Lookouts and Cincinnati Reds are expected to extend their player development agreement within the next several weeks.

Lookouts owner Frank Burke and Reds player development director Terry Reynolds talked this past week about meeting later this month or in early July to discuss continuing a relationship that began in 1988. This is the latest into a season that Burke has waited before renewing his franchise as Cincinnati’s Class AA affiliate, but Reynolds said that hasn’t been discomforting.

“It’s been very cordial all along,” Reynolds said. “We’ve talked about it on a number of occasions, and I think all indications are real positive. I think we both are in a positive frame of mind over it, and I’m looking forward to meeting with him and trying to formalize and finalize it.”

Said Burke: “Neither one of us are in any rush, and neither one of us is looking toward anybody else. It’s something that neither one of us are too worried about right now.”

Burke waited until May 31, 2006, before signing a two-year extension for the 2007-08 seasons. On March 20, 2002, he agreed to a four-year extension for the 2003-06 seasons.

Cincinnati’s lack of front-office stability is the primary reason Burke decided to wait. He’s worked with four general managers and three farm directors in the last six years. Three close friends in the organization left last September when the Reds let go minor league field coordinator Tim Naehring, assistant farm director Grant Griesser and former Lookouts manager Jayhawk Owens.

Before this season was a month old, the Reds fired general manager Wayne Krivsky and replaced him with Walt Jocketty.

Current Lookouts manager Mike Goff was Jacksonville’s hitting coach in 1992 and remembers the strong relationship the Reds and the city of Chattanooga had then. He hopes the pairing will continue for years to come.

“The attendance has been outstanding, and the city’s downtown is beautiful,” Goff said. “It’s beautiful to the point where the hotels are always booked up and we don’t have any access to those hotels without paying out the nose. To have 3,000 or 4,000 people in the stands every night makes the game so much more fun as opposed to coming to the park and playing before 800 or 900.”

Extending the agreement would come at a time when former Lookouts players are having a huge impact with the Reds. Johnny Cueto (a 2007 Lookout) and Homer Bailey (2006) have the most promising arms in Cincinnati’s rotation, and sudden-impact center fielder Jay Bruce (2007) heads the list of position players that includes first baseman Joey Votto (2006), shortstop Paul Janish (2006-07), third baseman Edward Encarnacion (2003-04) and left fielder Adam Dunn (2001).

“That is the coolest part of our job,” Burke said. “The Chattanooga Lookouts are helping produce a lot of major leaguers, and they’re starting to do very well.”

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