Four teams, including the Cardinals, are in on Yadier Molina, per the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Cardinals still seem the safest bet to re-sign their veteran catcher. The Cardinals have been the most eager, and Molina likewise for the Cardinals, per the Post-Dispatch. It’s frankly difficult to picture Molina in any uniform but Cardinal red, but stranger things have happened, especially in the time of COVID. The 38-year-old backstop has 17 seasons under his belt in St. Louis having appeared in 2,025 games with a triple slash of .281/.333/.404. Now, let’s check in on some affiliate changes…
- The Columbia Fireflies learned during owner Steve Cohen’s introductory press conference that they are no longer among the Mets’ minor league affiliates, per the Athletic’s Tim Britton (Twitter thread). The Fireflies anticipate joining another organization’s affiliates, though where exactly they’ll end up is very much up in the air for now, as is the case for many minor league teams. As Britton notes, the Florida State League is moving from High-A to Low-A, which is sure to cause some upheaval among those minor league affiliates.
- Rochester, New York will no longer house the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, writes La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune. Popular local team the St. Paul Saints of the independent league are being looked at as a potential replacement – one of two independent league teams that are likely to join minor league baseball. The Twins have spent the past 17 seasons (not including 2020) with Rochester as an affiliate, though it’s hard to argue that St. Paul doesn’t make more sense simply from a logistics standpoint. Wichita and Sioux Falls are also being considered, per Neal.
i don’t think Saint Paul would make the jump. their brand is being one of the premier indy outfits.
They have a built-in fan base that outnumbers pretty much any other option for the move. They won’t have any problems making the move.
Can we please get the Sugarland Skeeters to make the jump instead??
Or both?
Unless the money is good enough.
Lots of fond memories as a little boy, falling in love with baseball, watching my Rochester Red Wings funnel players to a then often dominant Baltimore Orioles team…
Seems there’s been a lot of that… Who’s getting paid under the table?
The Rochester, NY franchise has been in operation since 1899, older than the American League.
When seeing mentions of the Twins AAA club, I always assumed it was Rochester, Minnesota. Oops.
Me too!!
Somerset has already jumped to affiliated ball. Sugar Land has been long rumored to do the same. So St. Paul, if they join up with the Twins, would make three independent teams being affiliated.
Sioux Falls would also add to that count
Rochester will probably get another AAA or AA team from another organization….
I seem to remember when I was a kid the AAA Twins were the Teledo Mud Hens, but I could be wrong.
There is speculation that the Nationals will move their AAA team to Rochester since their agreement with Fresno has ended.
Rochester certainly makes a ton more sense geographically for Washington than Fresno.
What if Toronto has to play in Buffalo again in 2021? Rochester would be a natural fit if the Blue Jays don’t want to share their stadium with their AAA team.
So the Mets commit to Syracuse and Binghamton, and Rochester loses its team. Tough break for western NY…
If a team offers Molina a 2 year contract. he will take it.
Depends on the team.
Maybe the Angels can sign Molina who might want to play with Pujols in presumably The Machine’s last year while giving the Angels a frontline catcher when healthy even at nearly 40.
Wild about moving FSL from high A ball to low. Top quality stadiums most part since most are MLB ST ones and among some of the better ones around for MiLB in that regard.
I can’t remember exactly when FSL was NOT high A ball, but would be pre 1970’s.
If the Cardinals only want to give Yadi a one year deal, and other teams are willing to give him a two year deal, he should go with what’s best for him and his family. I would hate to see him go, but I would completely understand.
He’s only made $155 million in his career. He really needs to be looking out for his family.
There are several other considerations when making a decision like this other than money.
TC, if Florida State League is going to Low A, what is taking its place in High A? And why would they just shuffle leagues around? I know there’s a big MiLB realignment coming, but this one is kinda puzzling.
Good question Scott. Tons of teams are about to be cut which is sad. Organizations carry 7-9 minor league teams and now they want to trim it to 4. Why not 5 plus the rookie league?
my wonder is if they plan to keep more then 4 “teams,” of players, just only play organized games at 4 levels. for example, id assume they keep the DSL, but they wouldn’t have the DSL count as one of their four teams.
It is possible they aren’t counting the Rookie leagues like the Gulf Coast. I’m not sure. Gulf Coast league is great for the high school draftees and 16-17 year old International signings. It would be a shame to see them dropped. Perhaps it’s 4 teams plus 1 being rookie.
Roughly 260 minor teams would be cut down to 120 plus 30 rookie teams if that’s the case. About a thousand professional players will no longer have a job. Probably less than a handful would be late-bloomers reaching the big leagues.
Independent Leagues have sign working agreements with MLB so the pipeline will just take a different appearance. There will also be more collegiate summer wood bat leagues..
and part of me wonders that incorperating indy teams that the league has already made agreements with is a way to keep a larger number of affiliates while paying less. Perhaps the MLB teams make a larger cut of the earnings for the newly incorporated teams. I look at NYY’s system as an example, where they only cut the middle A team and made Somerset their AA affiliate.
Didn’t Affiliated league players win a lawsuit over minimum wage laws? Don’t think that extends to Independent Leagues.
A Northwest League and Mid-Atlantic League will be created for high-A, using predominantly existing affiliates. The California league is also moving down to Low A.
Per Baseball Digest:
LOW A
California League (8 teams)
Florida State League (10 teams)
Sally League (12 teams)
HIGH A
Midwest League
Northwest League
Carolina League
New Mid-Atlantic League
MLB is assigning affiliates. The MLB teams do not have final say.
Also, per Baseball Digest:
Why move the Cal League to Low A from High A? Purely to make the numbers across all of Minor League Baseball. There’s only room for six teams when all the other High-A slots are filled, so the decision was made to shift the Northwest League—which will be filled by affiliates of West Coast MLB teams—to High A. This is also the rationale for moving the Midwest League to High A and the Florida State League to Low A
I can see the Saints going to AAA. Nice new stadium and more assured revenue picture as an affiliate. Tenure of high level Indy ball could get iffy in the new minor league picture.
As a Cardinal Fan— I applaud both Molina and Wainwright for wanting to finish their Careers wearing a Cardinals uniform. They are still positive contributors plus above average mlb talent inspire of their age!!
But—- if I were them—- I would not come back to the Cardinals !!! Let’s face it. If John Mozeliak was going to sign the to a contract—— He would have already done it before now!!! He signed Matt Carpenter to a ridiculous 2 yr. $36 million contract before he hit free agency. Just so he could stay in a Cardinal uniform. Plus—- Carpenter has not been Matt Carpenter for 3+ seasons. Molina and Wainwright have still been great Cardinal contributors even through last season.
Mozeliak is going to do Molina and Wainwright the same way he did Ozuna. Let’s say the Yankees offered the pair fair contracts- based on incentives-for a year or 2.
Mozeliak’s standard line is always the same when he intends to dump good well liked ballplayers to lower salaries from the Cardinals.
“Well— We tried to sign them! But we just don’t have the money to compete with the Yankees”
Mozeliak thinks if he takes that stance—- it takes the heat off of himself. Maybe in the past it has, but we are all too familiar with his lying tactics and beating around the bush excuses when he makes dumb mistakes.
Molina and Wainwright both would be great inexpensive fits for the Yankees!! And most probably could guide the Yankees to another World Championship.
In that case—— both Wainwright and Molina could finish out their careers on top!! Not with the Cardinals, since Mozeliak’s goal is to have a .500 2021 team which might luck into a last position playoff spot in 2021.
A last position playoff position always insures Mozeliak and the Cardinals Owners would have to spend money on an impact hitter of which the Cardinals have desperately needed for years.