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MLB Designates Three Independent Leagues As Official “Partner Leagues”

By Steve Adams | September 25, 2020 at 7:35am CDT

Sept. 25: Both the American Association and the Frontier League have indeed been introduced as formal “partner leagues” as well, MLB has announced. The league’s press release indicates that both will “collaborate with MLB on initiatives to provide organized baseball to communities throughout the United States and Canada.”

“We welcome the American Association and Frontier Leagues as Partner Leagues, and look forward to working with them toward our shared goal of expanding the geographic reach of baseball,” Sword said in a new statement.

Sept. 23: Major League Baseball on Wednesday announced that the independent Atlantic League has been officially designated as MLB’s first “partner league.” As a partner league, the Atlantic League will “meet regularly with MLB to discuss joint marketing and promotional opportunities, including the leagues’ shared goal of providing baseball to communities throughout the United States,” per the press release announcing the partnership.

There was already an existing relationship between MLB and the Atlantic League, which has in recent years been a testing ground for experimental MLB rules such as the extra-innings runner on second base, pitch clocks, larger bases and even automated strike zones. Today’s agreement not only expands that relationship but extends the arrangement through the 2023 season.

“We are excited to extend our relationship with the Atlantic League, which provides us a unique means to push the sport forward,” MLB executive vice president of baseball economics and operations Morgan Sword said in a statement within the release. “The Atlantic League clubs and players have been great partners to us as we jointly test ways to make our game even more interesting and engaging to fans.”

The Athletic’s Evan Drellich reported this morning that MLB had been pursuing agreements not only with the Atlantic League but also with other high-profile independent leagues, including the American Association and the Frontier League. Minor league team owners who spoke with Drellich expressed trepidation that such partnerships could be used as leverage by MLB in ongoing talks with MiLB about a new Professional Baseball Agreement between the two parties.

It’s also possible that some clubs that are cut in the inevitable, broad-reaching contraction of the lower-level minor leagues could land in the Atlantic League or other newly appointed “partner leagues,” per Drellich. A timeline on additional agreements with the American Association, Frontier League or other indie circuits isn’t clear, but the PBA between Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball expires next week.

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56 Comments

  1. LordD99

    5 years ago

    The timing of this announcement is definitely for leverage with the ongoing negotiations with MiLB. Being one of the 40 teams cut from MiLB and then banished to a substandard “partner” league is adding insult to injury. Embarrassing how MLB is screwing over its true partners—the affiliates of MiLB.

    6
    Reply
    • timpa

      5 years ago

      Want robot umpires.

      2
      Reply
    • mrkinsm

      5 years ago

      Negative, MLB doesn’t need any leverage. They’ve already won. The milb agreement ends in a week.

      Reply
      • bobk

        5 years ago

        I agree – this isn’t “leverage” – this is called bulldozing. it’s quite likely that these leagues will grow a bit. but MLB’s financial obligation – mostly in players, their injury coverage and staffing – will be considerably reduced.

        Reply
      • LordD99

        5 years ago

        Positive. This tactic and its timing is exactly what you do when restructuring a new deal. Some negotiations are more pleasant than others. This is not a pleasant one since teams are being eliminated.

        Reply
  2. Hosmer for HOF

    5 years ago

    Great plot line in there if the Major League film series wants to further money grab

    1
    Reply
    • Christopher_Oriole

      5 years ago

      Only if Charlie Sheen makes a comeback, Wesley Snipes too(and bring back the guy from the second movie that played the same character)

      1
      Reply
      • Rangers29

        5 years ago

        Watching present, disese-riddled Charlie Sheen throw CGI darts would be amazing.

        1
        Reply
      • Convectess

        5 years ago

        Omar Epps

        Reply
      • 92jays

        5 years ago

        Willy mays hays

        Reply
        • costergaard2

          5 years ago

          You may run like Mays, but you hit like

          Reply
  3. schwender

    5 years ago

    Get rid of affiliated baseball and let’s implement relegation

    I’m joking, but yes

    Reply
    • PapiElf

      5 years ago

      I’ve always wanted to see relegation. After a while, the Angels, Tigers, and Red Sox probably are worse than some minor league teams. It would be cool to see Yankees vs. El Paso Chihuahuas sometime.

      Reply
      • Briffle2

        5 years ago

        It would be a truly globalized sport then. I imagine a Simpson’s situation with some eccentric multi-billionaire dropping a load of cash to buy a bunch of players.

        Reply
        • mrdave

          5 years ago

          George Steinbrenner is back from the dead?

          Reply
        • The Mistake of Giving Eugene Melnyk a Liver Transplant

          5 years ago

          And Dancing Homer?!?!?!?

          Reply
      • bkbk

        5 years ago

        Angels could make the playoffs this weekend and advanced stats have them as a 5 win better team.

        Give Billy 1 more year!

        Reply
        • Dorothy_Mantooth

          5 years ago

          With the Astros playing the Rangers, it’s time to give up on the Angels’ post season dreams.

          Reply
    • DarkSide830

      5 years ago

      its all fun and games until your team gets demoted. seriously though, it would be a neat wrinkle.

      Reply
  4. Rangers29

    5 years ago

    This is like the U.S signing a peace treaty with Canada. We get along fine already, we have the same goals, but now we want to say we are “friendly”. Independent leagues have the same goals as the majors just with lesser talent, but I guess this isn’t hurting anybody.

    Though the reason for this has nothing to do with the Independent league, and everything to do with MiLB teams.

    1
    Reply
  5. DarkSide830

    5 years ago

    odd given they’ve always had some relationship…cant see this pressuring MiLB though, the Atlantic League isnt large enough to allow for each team to properly develop their prospects

    Reply
    • nymetsking

      5 years ago

      I’d think it’d be less of a developmental role and more of a place for AAAA guys to play, allowing the affiliates to focus more on developing the kids.

      2
      Reply
      • DarkSide830

        5 years ago

        and that *would* make a lot more sense really, though that’s kinda what they do know. it would also be dissapointing if MLB teams encouraged ALPB teams to sign inferior players because they thought they would provide more value as reserve guys though. frankly, why contract MiLB if you are trying to seemingly eliminate at few roster spots as possible?

        Reply
    • LordD99

      5 years ago

      Also, keep in mind that one reason MLB is giving for wanting to reduce the number of MiLB affiliates by 40 teams is they claim many of the facilities aren’t up to standard. Many of the teams in MiLB being threatened with contraction have better facilities than existing teams in the Atlantic League!

      3
      Reply
      • btl05

        5 years ago

        I think “many” is a stretch. Some terrific minor league parks have opened in the last 15-20 years but they are still outnumbered by the substandard facilities. Minor league owners are far more likely to spend their money on the “fan experience”.. Tiki Bar? Great idea! Expand the clubhouse and install new carpet? Why would we do that!? When it comes to improving player facilities their checkbooks tend to do a David Copperfield.

        Reply
      • mrkinsm

        5 years ago

        This is also not true, almost none of the 40 teams on the chopping blocks have facilities that outmatch the Atlantic League.

        Reply
        • champion1701

          5 years ago

          The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes have a modern facility, the mlb is just intent on eliminating short season low A ball.

          Reply
  6. bobtillman

    5 years ago

    These things, as long and drawn out as they are, are basically cyclical in nature. The current system evolved basically because MLB teams were tired of paying independent owners for talent; the phrase “purchased a contract” stays with us today. Branch Rickey saw a much more efficient way, the “partnership” between MLB and MiLB.

    But the system is broken, and player development has simply become too expensive. Teams routinely, between bonuses and development cost, spend 15-20 million a year for a system that if you’ve had a GOOD year, produces a utility infielder or a 4th starter.

    Various “rookie/short season” leagues are essentially gone now…..”low-A” and “Hi-A” will be gone soon, all replaced by individual MiLB owners bearing the brunt of expenses.

    The Mike Trout-s and Juan Soto-s will continue to bubble up; it will just be without the costs of the Dan Voggelbach.-s.

    3
    Reply
    • MuleorAstroMule

      5 years ago

      How is the system broken though? Owning a franchise is literally a license to print money. Baseball is still a highly profitable multi-billion sport. God forbid some of that money isn’t concentrated at the top. $15-20 mil is peanuts.

      What is left out here is that excellent ball players need other ball players close to their talent to play against to improve, especially pitchers. Players can take years to develop. It’s not like football or basketball in that regard. Less competition means less talent. Fewer opportunities means less talent.

      The inverse of the Juan Soto of your example is Mike Yastrzemski. Sure it took him until 27 to figure it out but would rather watch him or some scrub?

      Reply
      • bobtillman

        5 years ago

        And who was paying Yaz (not to mention the coaches working with him) while he was undergoing his learning process? And what happened? The team that spent all the money lost him anyway.

        And really, 15-20M even for MLB owners is hardly peanuts. A GM who finishes in fourth place with a 85M payroll has much more job security than one who finishes in third with an 100M payroll. 15M might not mean much to the Red Sox or Dodgers; it could very well be the difference between profit and loss for the Rays and the Pirates.

        Not ALL owners are phenomenally wealthy; indeed, MLB’s problem is that you basically have the very rich and the not-so-rich, and there’s a HUGE gap between them. The Red Sox have about 650M in revenue (a ton of which they keep, BTW); the Rays have about 260M in revenue, and they wind up sharing it with vendors, landlords, etc. etc. Again, that’s a HUGE disparity that Revenue Sharing barely touches.

        Granted, some of the small market guys deserve their troubles. But you can build Tampa to it’s ultimate “branding”, and you’re still not going to get the bang of Red Sox Nation, and that’s even if the Red Sox finish 62-100.

        Reply
        • MuleorAstroMule

          5 years ago

          Owners like to talk about revenue streams, sure. They don’t like to talk about the fact their franchises double in value about every five years. You have to lose a heck of a lot of money year in and year out to negate that gain. Has there every been someone who sold a franchise who didn’t come out exponentially ahead in the deal? No team is in trouble. Some are certainly run on the cheap, and some ownership groups take issue with that. But when someone is willing to shell out 1.2 billion for the worst franchise in the sport it’s hard to view MLB as a potentially money losing enterprise.

          Reply
      • btl05

        5 years ago

        I wouldn;t characterize the system as broken but MLB teams are finally waking up to the fact that they have been throwing away money by fielding 8-10 minor league teams each season. Frankly I’m surprised it’s taken them this long to move to a more streamlined, cost effective development plan. Sure, it stinks for minor league franchises and their loyal fans, but that’s how business is done these days. Why would baseball be any different?

        Reply
    • LordD99

      5 years ago

      Players like Mike Trout don’t “bubble up.” They’re top prospects from the start. And what exactly is the “cost” of Dan Vogelbach and how will that be eliminated? He was a second round pick who made the majors. Are you saying Vogelbach will cease to exist and by eliminating the lower-level development leagues the majors will only be populated by Mike Trout and Juan Soto-types who will bubbling up?

      Reply
  7. Rangers29

    5 years ago

    I wonder if this covid season has made organizations rethink the way they develop players. I read an article yesterday about Texas’s top prospect Josh Jung, and Jung himself said that he has gained more out of this season than a regular single A or double A season.

    Reply
    • DarkSide830

      5 years ago

      he might right, but to fair, he hasnt even played a full pro season yet so i dont know how much his opinion counts for here.

      4
      Reply
      • DarkSide830

        5 years ago

        *might be right

        Reply
        • Rangers29

          5 years ago

          I see where you’re coming from. But to add on to what I was saying previously, the coaches think his timeline has sped up to the end of 21′. The coaches see a lot of improvement out of him too. Plus he looks almost exactly like Roger Maris, sooo he’ll hit 60 homers.

          Reply
        • gbs42

          5 years ago

          As Darkside said, he has no frame of reference. And as a minor leaguer, he’s likely to say what his parent team wants to hear.

          1
          Reply
    • LordD99

      5 years ago

      How would he know what he would have gained if he played a full season of AA? How does he know what he has or hasn’t lost?

      Reply
  8. DarkSide830

    5 years ago

    i would hope too that if the move towards less affiliates but more independant teams happens these leagues will get a little more publicity. for example, i would collect independent league merchandise such as trading cards if they were more available.

    Reply
  9. bh

    5 years ago

    RIP Camden Riversharks

    Reply
  10. wild bill tetley

    5 years ago

    Majority of these rule experiments suck.

    Make adjustments to keep pitchers healthy. That should be the focus. Aces breeds viewers.

    Reply
  11. 66TheNumberOfTheBest

    5 years ago

    The days of old people, drunks and parents who don’t want to take out a loan to take their kids to a ballgame subsidizing MLB’s player development costs might be over.

    And since the owners are too penny wise to understand the value of investing in your own product, it’s likely they will try to foist as much of the responsibility (and cost) as they can upon independent leagues and colleges.

    Reply
    • dugmet

      5 years ago

      Actually, investing in their product – professional baseball — is exactly what they will be doing. Mets own 5 of 7 minor league franchises. Other teams own 2 – 4 for which they are paying all operating costs. Partnering with independent or development leagues probably will help to promote baseball overall. Independent teams can do quite well. For example, the independent Savannah Bananas are doing well after the Mets left for Columbia, SC.

      Reply
      • DarkSide830

        5 years ago

        i thought you just made up a name but that’s litteraly their name. the Bananas. almost as good as the California Dogecoin.

        Reply
  12. jd396

    5 years ago

    If MLB players were almost exclusively drafted in the first 3 rounds and all teams never had trouble finding good productive players at every position… the argument that MiLB is a bloated waste of time and energy wouldn’t ring so hollow and the contraction stuff would make more sense.

    1
    Reply
  13. joeyrocafella

    5 years ago

    The Bridgeport Bluefish are wishing they stick around a couple of extra years instead of folding.

    Reply
  14. Michael Macaulay-Birks

    5 years ago

    We have a beautiful facility here in Kissimmee Florida, used to have the Astros spring training, and then a low a affiliate “fire frogs”, Games were affordable concessions were affordable, the place is only 15 years old and they’ve improved it all along, just sitting there empty

    Reply
    • kje76

      5 years ago

      I’m not sure Kissimmee is a good example if anything. The Fire Frogs were at the bottom of attendance in the Florida State League, so unfortunately there weren’t enough people going to the games. They only averaged about 300 fans a game last year!

      Moreover, the Fire Frogs were forced to take a buyout at the threat of eviction. The county chose to make the property an MLS soccer complex over allowing the Fire Frogs to stay.

      Reply
  15. Tom1968

    5 years ago

    Good for them, now they can get better deals other than a gross of baseballs for 1 of their players

    Reply
  16. shortytallz

    5 years ago

    I am hereby announcing the totally independent ShortyTallz League, which will compete with and ultimately crush MLB.

    Reply
  17. JesseJackson

    5 years ago

    “The King of Staten Island” was a really good movie. Jed Apatow is back.

    Reply
  18. bobtillman

    5 years ago

    Again, it’s worth trying to access an MLB network GM roundtable from last year, where Atlanta’s AA bemoaned the cost of player development, and said it was issue #1 among the owners (it may shock you to know that money is more important than whether or not we start a runner on 2nd base in the 10th inning of a tie game; there isn’t an owner in the sport who gives a flip).

    It’s going to shift the emphasis in scouting now from amateur scouts to “pro” scouts; you’ll see a lot more radar guns and laptops at Atlantic League games.

    And again, the short season leagues bit the dust this year; shortly, most low-A and Hi-A leagues will vanish. SOME will remain; some are incredibly profitable. But, for instance, every FSL team loses money, and owners don’t like to lose money.

    Reply
  19. tim815

    5 years ago

    “the geographis reach” if baseball.

    It hadn’t been a problem. Until Manfred decided to monetize everything under the sun.

    Reply
  20. Dorothy_Mantooth

    5 years ago

    Every team should be okay with 5 minor league affiliates: AAA, AA, A, gulf coast league (or the equivalent league in Arizona) and Dominican summer league teams. This would actually increase the talent levels across all teams as only the best prospects would make each roster. In order to do this, they might have to shrink the draft to 25 rounds instead of the current 40 rounds. MLB teams could ‘lend’ players to the independent leagues if need be too.

    Leagues for younger kids need to stay in existence too like the Cape Cod League. It would be great if one of the independent leagues was for kids 22 or younger but I’m not sure how well that would work due to the constant roster churn. Single A ball will be much more competitive by making these changes, that’s for sure.

    Reply
  21. bot

    5 years ago

    Future home of several minor leaguers when they cut all these teams soon

    Reply

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