The expiration of the Professional Baseball Agreement between MLB and MiLB arrives in 18 days, at which point MLB is expected to slice a huge segment of affiliated minor league ball clubs from the development pipeline. MLB’s plan to take 120 teams under their governance in a new, streamlined minor league system was viewed as a worst-case scenario for a time, but as the realities of this pandemic-cancelled season have come to pass, minor league clubs are focused more on creating ways to recoup some of their lost revenue.
The biggest hurdle minor league owners are eagerly hoping to clear is the creation of a schedule for the 2021 season, writes Josh Norris of Baseball America. Minor league clubs have already lost a tremendous amount of earning potential through the loss of the 2020 season, which for many teams would have at least provided a last hurrah before elimination, writes Norris.
For most of these clubs, their biggest asset is the facility itself, but with each passing day, opportunities to secure rentals and alternative entertainment options potentially fall by the wayside. Until the schedule for 2021 is set, these minor league clubs don’t know the availability of their buildings, severely limiting any strategic advantage they might have gained through planning and forethought. Essentially, these minor league clubs are preparing to become franchisees of the MLB brand, but right now they don’t know what they’re allowed to put on the menu.
With Pat O’Connor, the President of Minor League Baseball, retiring at the end of the year, there’s little standing in the way of MLB’s restructure plan. But until a schedule for the 2021 season is down on paper, those businesses are stuck in limbo.
i would think its unwise to simply cut all of the teams in question immediately rather then doing so down the line. if they expect to cut these teams for next year then the league is probably going to run into a load of logistical problems.
1 18 and under team
1 a ball team
1 double a ball team
1 triple a ball team
1 veteran squad.
4 minor league teams and a veteran squad for guys to go rehab and get back to game speed or try to get a call up to the major league squad.
I like it
What is the motivation behind cutting the minor leagues by that much? Surely MLB can’t be losing enough money to make that a factor, and wouldn’t they want as big of a pool to draw from as possible for their major league talent? I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation, I just don’t see what MLB would gain.
MLB owners are making lots of money, but they want to make *all* the money.
and to be fair, the statement that this is a huge overhaul really doesnt follow. essentially all they are doing is cutting the short season level and a few teams across the A and AA levels. (which will be replaces by affiliates of teams that have multiple affiliates in the same levels of A or rookie ball) theyre not planning on cutting most of the high affilaites that they don’t own and already own most of the lower ones so besides the simple fact that there will be less teams there wolnt be as many other changes as are made out to be.
Thank you
just out of curiosity, wasnt the number 150 last time? when did they move from that number, because that change is a big one.
It’s always been 120. I think 150 would of been a good compromise
MiLB, this is your chance to divorce the MLB and you need to let go of that anchor. MLB is on a path that will dead end. Let it go!
Honestly, I’ve thought about what if MiLB simply said “we’re not going to continue our arrangement under these terms.” I wouldn’t say they have all the leverage, but wouldn’t they certainly have some? At 5 teams per MLB franchise, that’d be 150 facilities to locate in under a year for MLB to run their own minors program.
It’s 120 teams though, right?
Right now, MLB teams provide players and coaching staffs. They also split travel costs, and I think share equipment costs as well. Without affiliation, the minor league team would have to cover all of those costs. Most teams almost certainly couldn’t afford to do that.
I also think part of a minor league teams valuation is tied into being an affiliate. So if a MiLB team decided to go Independent, they’d be worth less.
I think if the two sides don’t come to an agreement, and MLB decides to walk away and do their own thing, a lot of minor league teams would jump at the chance to join a new affiliated minor league development system. Even if it took a while to build up, MLB teams would just park most of their prospects at the Spring Training facilities and scrimmage other orgs. I believe they threatened to do just that the last time their agreement expired, back in 1990.
Minor league teams have very, very little power here.
1 A team
1 AA team
1 AAA team
Why would that not be enough? Expand the roster size if you like because we don’t need all these High A, Low A, and Short Season A teams.
Old school, the way it used to be decades ago.
Scott.. Old school is it would go all the way down to “C” and “D” class leagues and not that many years ago, but late 50’s and early 60’s.
Tell that to the players in those leagues
Tell that to the players and coaches in those leagues. True there are a ton of teams but that also means more opportunities
There was no affiliated minor league baseball this year. MLB teams released most of those guys already. And the draft was super short this year, and will be shorter than usual going forward. So those players are already gone.
It does suck for the coaches though. The players can at least make decisions while they’re in HS/college about whether or not they want pursue their dream. But most of the coaches are just…out of jobs. And baseball is probably the only career they’ve ever known.
You do need all of those A ball and short season teams. You can’t pit 17 and 18 year old IFA signings against competition 2 or 3 years older than them and expect them to succeed. They’ll get pushed off the field for playing time, and they won’t learn on the bench.
Obviously you have never been to a Pioneer league game.
I like it
Cutting minor league teams is an absolutely terrible idea. Player development will suffer.
sucks but it’s a business decision
I agree, DP. Unfortunately the league is being ran by greed and lunacy.
how so? theyre not getting rid of the minors entirely just cutting a bunch of teams.
I think a lot of young, raw players really need time in rookie ball or short season leagues before going higher, and now that doesn’t seem to be an option. Asking them to jump right to A ball (or even High A) could be rushing them. There’s at least a chance that it could tank their confidence and stunt their development, just like rushing them to the majors.
The Minor League Players, should form a Union.. form MLB to deal with .. So not to lose there fair rights to Bargain…
Going the Federalism model. Yuck.
Make sure to the put the Queen, I mean MLB commissioner, on your currency, MiLB teams.
So if you cut out all of the teams other then A, AA, AAA and maybe another smaller league for what was said up top for rehab/veteran squads to use in case of injuries and such, there would be a ton of players that would have absolutely nowhere to play. These days especially, how many of the leagues top notch Latin talent have began their careers as International FA’s as young as 15-16 years old? Where would these players begin their careers? Because I assure you probably 95% or more aren’t ready for major organized ball at that age, and by getting rid of such leagues as Low A or like what was said a Pioneer League, you are basically getting rid of the chance of developing some really talented kids! I live in Michigan and going and watching the West Michigan WhiteCaps (Tigers low A affiliate) I’ve seen some amazing talent come through there (Andrew Miller, N. Castellanos, etc) and also seen some great pros play a few games on a rehab assignment. These leagues are a huge part of these communities and it’s going to really turn off a LOT of fans with these changes. But MLB doesn’t care bout that, just the almighty buck!
MLB greed. Less players, more cash for the MLB. And the game is getting younger. Five years from now it will be normal for a single A team to be comprised entirely of 17-18 year olds.
Next year people need to be in the stands, for the sake of the mental health of the whole population.