3:05pm: Minor League Baseball has issued the following statement in the wake of this mornings report on contraction:
Recent articles on the negotiations between MiLB and Major League Baseball (MLB) are largely inaccurate. There have been no agreements on contraction or any other issues. MiLB looks forward to continuing the good faith negotiations with MLB tomorrow as we work toward an agreement that best ensures the future of professional baseball throughout the United States and Canada.
11:04am: Minor League Baseball has resisted a contraction and realignment push since Major League Baseball launched it last fall. But the stark realities of the coronavirus pandemic have forced MiLB to accept that outcome in advance of negotiations with its big-brother league, J.J. Cooper of Baseball America reports.
That’s not to say that MiLB is willing to accept the MLB plan in full. It seems the focus on the minors side is twofold: First, ensuring that some legitimate form of baseball carries on in the places where affiliated ballclubs are axed. And second, arriving at a system that provides stability and security for the long haul.
If the broad parameters of the MLB plan are indeed agreed upon, then all thirty big league clubs will end up with four affiliated apiece (120 in total). In the 42 places that would lose the chance to field a minor-league roster of players, Cooper writes, the aim is for “baseball of a reasonably high quality in an economic system that would have staying power.” Getting such assurances could force minor-league clubs to cede significant additional authority to MLB as part of the overall workout.
There’s obviously still quite a lot at play with negotiations expected to take place in earnest. You’ll certainly want to read the entire piece from Cooper to understand the full details of the present situation.
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I feel like a good compromise would be going to 150 teams. Each ML team gets a short season team. Still cut a few affiliates and those with multiple complex league teams
I called a no season five weeks ago, its not going to happen, not in July not in August or Sept. I say no play no pay the players. That’s about as simple as it gets. Playing baseball games with no fans is just as crazy. 2021 here we come. I also feel a lost season should not count towards player service time, that’s plain insane. That’s my thoughts and I’m sticking by it.
It should count towards their service time because they lose a year.
What worries me the most about this is some of those teams are the lifeblood of their communities. Especially those in the Appalachian League. Those are small communities and these teams bring in a lot of people and thus a lot of money.
I hope the teams that do get cut, end up being part of the proposed “Dream league” that MLB wants. Give the fans there an opportunity to still have baseball, and allow the communities to still bring in money and have jobs for those who work for the teams.
Six of the eight Appalachian League teams averaged less than 1000 in attendance. They aren’t bringing in a lot of people or money.
Baseball should be expanding, not contracting. There are more talented ballplayers today than ever before. The goal should be for MLB to provide as my possible avenues for players to reach the big leagues. The money is there, whether they claim otherwise is their ideological prerogative and if so, speaks to the reality that we are in a very scary time for baseball right now.
It is really strange when you think about it. When the goal of everyone in entertainment is to expand and enter new markets, baseball wants to get smaller. It’s a path to irrelevancy and a talking point for national media. You’d think it would be worth the (relatively minor) financial layout to keep the footprint larger.
Maybe this would work best in a free minor league system.
Baseball has 10,000+ professional players. Name any other sport or field of entertainment that keeps 10,000 wannabe stars on the payroll.
It’s a silly system, and as pressure builds to pay minor league players more, their numbers will have to be reduced significantly. I wouldn’t be surprised if, in 10 years, the vast majority of American signings come out of college…because, past the first few rounds of the draft, teams will simply not be willing to sign 18 year olds. It will be way too costly.
The most successful sport in the world, soccer.
Well yes, the money is there. But the question is, why should it be used to expand a system that trains professional baseball players? Is that really what is needed right now? More people who’s only skill is to play a game?
To me at least, it seems like, in a crisis, a healthy society should become less focused on sport and entertainment, and more focused on practical professions. Doesn’t mean baseball should be abolished, of course, but some downsizing is certainly in order.
The loss of these minor league teams mostly cuts low paying and low skilled jobs.These minor league teams aren’t profitable paying their players a non living wage. I do not see this as a bad thing.
Everyone looks at cutting jobs in negative light. The reality is that these minor league teams do very little for the community. I’ll get a million emotional responses refuting this. But feelings don’t make the facts any less true.
You’d be better off turning that stadium into a manufacturing plant. I’ll throw that in there for everyone who wants to bring those jobs back to America…
If they were profitable; they wouldn’t be cut. It’s really that simple. They aren’t paying the players a living wage and the economics do not make sense.
MLB teams pay the minor-league players, based upon a system bargained for by the MLB players union.
The bottom line is the talent around the country and around the world is growing. Being that domestic teams sign international players, the amount of talent will continue to grow whereas the amount of opportunity will stay the same. Baseball should encourage free market competition to the best of its ability. Not only should minor league teams be expanding, but expansion of major league clubs should be a thought as well. Las Vegas, Tennessee, maybe another Georgia, Texas, or FL team. Perhaps another Midwest team. A Carolina team for sure. And of course, right now there are more important things on everyone’s mind, but in the long run this is an initiative that should have some common sense support. There will be obstacles, but the promotion of baseball and the expansion of its roots throughout the country and globe is a major positive
If there’s that much baseball talent around the world, as you say, then a market will create itself. I bet it will not. These are unprofitable enterprises as it is. I bet the biggest impact b/c of this is that more kids will go to college and less kids will waste 5 years making minimum wage.
I have no issue with this myself. Junk parks and non supportive markets go away. Fewer teams mean fewer prospects but hopefully better pay for those players. I think independent leagues will increase and could benefit guys that would otherwise be stuck in a system.
Which playervfrom your team’s last draft should not have been given a chance to perform immediately in games at the compound level?
With this plan, it’s very possible none of them will in the future.
If you think that’s anything but a kick in the shins for prospect development, we disagree.
Are you kidding me? It’s a very long list. Pretty much everyone, past the first few draft picks, does not belong in this profession. It’s a terrible choice.
I would much rather see these kids start working on careers in practical professions at 18 than at 25 to 30 … which is when the vast, vast majority of them end up washing out of baseball and having to start with nothing in another profession.
The minor leagues is a honey trap for high performing 18 year olds (I don’t just mean high performing at baseball, but high performing at things far more important: leadership, social kills, ambition, organization, discipline) who, in 95+ percent of cases, are lured by the promise of becoming baseball stars and end up with 5 to 10 wasted years of their lives instead.
And again: these are some of the best kids in the country. They’re not the losers, or the average, they’re the kids who are winning at life at age 18. The cream of the crop … who are then seduced into aiming for an impossible dream, and end up (let’s just say) no longer winners, having to start from scratch in another profession, at 25 or 30.
Would a lower round draft pick benefit more from spending their first two and a half months in Batavia, NY (or Missoula, MT or Johnson City, TN) or spending that time at the spring trading complex?
They should be playing all of their minor league games at their Spring Training facilities. There are multiple fields at these camps. Each team would have AAA/AA/A/Rookie leagues and since it looks like MLB will be using their big parks,call ups will be easy.
I wonder how many of the contracted teams will be near MLB markets. I assume part of this is killing the competition. In atlanta we have a A and AAA with the metro area. I prefer going to the minor league games. For the cost of one Braves ticket I can see the A team play, pay for parking , take my two kids and feed them. I don’t Goto Braves games unless someone hands me free tickets. Can’t afford it.
The Braves own those affiliates.
Although that means you have to drive over an hour away to Rome.
I suspect you’re not alone.
Being priced out of the market.
You do understand why tickets to that A team are so cheap, right? It’s because the A team gets money from the Braves. More exactly, the money is coming from people who go see the Braves.
Your game, that you go to, is subsidized by people who go to the Braves game. And now that might stop. It probably won’t, but it might.
If it does, you and other fans who like to watch this small team are gonna have to start taking on the full costs. You won’t (that’s just fact, there is NO SUPPORT from fans, for lower level sports leagues), and the team is going to go bust. But if you really were passionate about maintaining this team, and there really was enough of you, you could support it without a subsidy from the Braves.
We need to rejuvinate the game of baseball. There ia so much differemt entertainment pulling people in different ways. There is nothing like the game of baseball. It slows things down in an ever fast paced world. I never liked the rules to speed uo the game and I dislike when MLB Network condenses their replays of games in their Network.
If it goes in full it effectively kills minor league baseball in West Virginia.
There’d be a power outage for sure.
Was wondering what would happen to MiLB.
Well that’s sad… there goes my Mahoning Valley Scrappers
NY-Penn League to disappear? It’s a short season league starting in mid June after the draft. Lots of college guys drafted after the 10th round populate the rosters and most never make the bigs.
I would guess MLB would have to reduce the number of rounds in the draft. After 20 rounds (if that) hardly anybody makes the show. There won’t be many places for guys to play.
not true. there are several guys from each draft that make the show after the 20th round.
DarkSide let me help you here.
Would you give me $200 for a 1/50 chance to win $200?
The % of major leaguers that were drafted after round 20 is ludicrously low. If you took out the number who were drafted that low because they were HS players, who required first 5 round money, the list is almost non existent.
Those high picks would just go to extended spring.
Reducing the number of rounds in the draft to 20 is part of the plan.
Most of those campuses are split between multiple teams as it is. The Indians have split camp with the Reds and so forth. You would need 8 fields at those campuses just to play, and you would need more back fields and such for all the assorted rehabs and training going on so forth.
They would need some additional facilities. Which… they could probably add a few. Daytona has Jackie Robinson field, they could use that. Tucson has a field recently used for independent ball. Kissimmee and Orlando have parks that were recently used by minor league teams. I think Winter Haven still has some old facilities used by the Indians. Could also borrow Pensacola and Jacksonville’s stadiums.
The problem is, Florida’s exemption for entertainment only applies to “nationally broadcast” sports. So it may not extend that to minor league teams. So there’s a lot of legal talk that needs to go into that.
The way Manfred is taking advantage of this pandemic to do what he wants much like a politician does
what bothers me here is this clearly looks like a way to increase per player minors pay while not paying any more. decreasing opportunities for players simply to pay more is a travesty.
I doubt it will be wash, when MLB has stated updated facilities with increased pay with support for some long term baseball in contracted areas.
The big downside is MiLB will likely become more of a MLB product. The parks will lose some unique flavor provided by how clubs operate indepently, most likely. And we probably won’t see stadiums swapping teams as much.
MiLB isn’t conceding for less I imagine. They’ll want give and take that includes profit for the remaining 120 with sponsor clubs. I doubt MLB plans to contract spending with a new revamped product.
I grew up going to minor league games. My friends and I grew up emulating those players and spent night after night going to those games. Those A ball games helped us become fans.
As we moved to bigger towns with MLB teams we kept our fanhood and started buying MLB tickets.
There’s more t this than MLB is realizing. Lots of fans and off field talent (broadcasters, front office, etc) come from these minor league towns.
I dont see the downfall of contracting milb teams. Eliminate rookie ball entirely. Theres no point to it. Why does a team need 4 affiliated minor league teams? That’s 120 minor league players for each minor league team, and less than 10% will ever become relevant regular everyday mlb players. Cut out some fat and increase the level of competition and cut costs at same time. If a mediocre player wants to continue to pursue a career in baseball, go to college or independent leagues. And it’s not mlb responsibility to stimulate the economy in a hole in wall town in middle of nowhere in rural america.
so Manfred created this pandemic to get what he wanted is what i am hearing…
As someone who lives in the “middle of nowhere in middle America” I love going to the 4 local low a teams in Iowa and I will be disappointed to see them go. The stadiums that the teams play in are a big part of every summer for those smaller communities. We don’t all live in giant overcrowded big cities. Minor league baseball is a huge part of our society and we need it to continue.
As someone from that area, it’s going to be tough to stomach, but that’s the reality of the situation. A lot of industries and jobs are going to have to make significant adjustments. This is a whole new world and the economic and societal adjustments are going to take years. Unfortunately there will be more casualties.
I feel for the communities who will lose their minor league teams, but I think the idea that “There are more talented ballplayers today than ever before,” simply isn’t true—you only have to look at the quality of many major league players today (as opposed to, say, the 1950s & 60s). The great ones are still great, but there is a lot of chaf filling out most rosters.
What’s more, minor league players are woefully underpaid, and a contraction SHOULD allow major league teams to pay all minor leaguers a fair wage. And the concentration of games and playing time, should quickly eliminate some players who will never be major league, and allow other players to get signed.
Also, my hope is that some minor league franchises can share cities that are reasonably close to each other. But, as I said, I’m aware that many towns will feel the loss. But that is The Market at work.
i dont see how how there could be that much turn over to give more guys what, essentially a single small shot at eventually sticking around in tne pros? and its not like they cant play the number of minor leaguers they have fair wages. MLB teams, even if they lose a year of revenue, still are worth and make well enough money to recoop losses while also paying all however many minor leaguers they have fair wages.
The players aren’t as good as they were in the 50s and 60s? Go look at the bottom-feeding teams of that era and tell me there wasn’t chaff filling out rosters…
Its times like this I think of the great Luke Easter and what he would be doing today.
Would be sad if this pandemic gives MLB the leverage it needs to carry out a horrible plan to contract the minor leagues.
exactly. this is plays so horribly well into their plans too.
haha yes! there is fight in them after all!
MLB wants to move the draft back to well after the College World Series. I think the teams most likely for a death knell are the Short Season leagues. MLB could have a fall/winter league for top draft picks — at their own facilities in Arizona and Florida and still get similar results compared to what the Short Season leagues do now.
I do think one thing that will happen as well is AAA will split into a three league or division setup. It certainly seems that MLB is really bent on making sure it’s AAA players aren’t multiple time zones away from the mothership in the majors. This makes sense, and is completely logical. I actually think this is as big of deal to them as chopping off teams on the bottom end.
On a personal note, I’ve never understood why more and more teams don’t own their AAA affiliates at least. Some teams do. More and more teams do. It makes sense. Many even own their AA ones as well. Fewer do at the lower levels. If they want more control over this stuff, they need to invest more directly.
My guess is several shorties go away, multiple teams re-locate, and we’ll have 3 AAA leagues after all is said and done.
I thought the American Association folding 20+ years ago was an ill-advised idea, especially to have a “Pacific Coast” League stretch across three time zones and have three teams east of the Mississippi.
When the AA split, the teams in the Eastern time zone joined the IL. That left only five teams.
With Colorado Springs moving to San Antonio, there’s now eight Central time zone teams and eight Mountain/Pacific time zones. Much easier to split into two leagues.
This whole thing just amazes me… if MLB’s talent pipeline consisted almost exclusively of the best NCAA players, it might make some sense
MILB might agree to some contraction in the end, but I don’t think it will be to the level that MLB originally proposed. MLB’s proposal had nothing between the Gulf Coast League/Arizona League & low A. I feel like there needs to be a team between those levels. If you had a rookie league team, whether that is short-season or changed to a full season, that keeps 30 more teams and more jobs for players.
My solution would be to give every team a AAA, AA, A, and rookie league team. That’s 120. In 2019 there were 91 teams that averaged at least 3,000(The Binghamton Rumble Ponies averaged exactly 3,000). Keep those. From there, have a committee decide (based on attendance and economic/fan importance to the community) which 29 of the remaining 61 teams remain. I’ll start by eliminating the Florida State League, where no one averages more than 3,000 fans.
That is close to the actual plan, except for that committee nonsense.
Every MLB team will have a AAA, AA, high A, and low A. That’s the 120 were talking about. Each team will also have a short season/fall team located at their spring training site.
I’m a huge baseball fan, but the reality is that most single A baseball is unwatchable. Give me a break with the number of talented players.
teams dont have affiliates for TV revenue. its just about developing prospects