Sox drop affiliation with Lowell Spinners for 2021
Discussions about future relationship ongoing
In October of 2019, when word got out that Major League Baseball was pushing for greater control of the farm system and the elimination of dozens of Minor League Baseball affiliates, Lowell Spinners owner Dave Heller began to seriously worry.
His strong concern was validated on Wednesday.
The Spinners will not be a minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox in 2021. They had been a Class-A short season affiliate of the Sox since 1996, often sellingout LeLacheur Park while playing in the New YorkPenn League. The 2020 season was canceled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of the minor league shakeup, MLB teams were forced to reduce their minor league affiliates to four. Remaining Sox affiliates will be Worcester (Triple A), Portland (Double A), and Salem, Va., and Greenville, S.C. at the Single-A level.
However, the Red Sox are not completely cutting ties with the Spinners and Lowell. The Sox announced in a Wednesday press release that the franchise and the city of Lowell are working to keep baseball in the Lowell community. The two sides are in the early stages of evaluating various opportunities for the 2021 season, and will continue to discuss longer-term options in the weeks ahead.
“For over a year, we have worked with Congresswoman (Lori) Trahan, Lowell City Manager Eileen Donoghue, Major League Baseball, and Lowell Spinners ownership to examine every option that would keep baseball in the City of Lowell,” said Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy. “We are exploring what form that could take in 2021, and are committed to maintaining the 24-year-long tradition of baseball in the Lowell community. We are grateful to Governor Baker, Senator Markey, and Senator Warren for their support of our collective efforts, and look forward to our continued work with Lowell’s public officials as we develop and formalize our plans.”
U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan also released a statement: “Over the past year, my team and I have worked diligently to keep baseball here in Lowell. Like everyone in our community, we know how important the Red Sox are to our city and how valuable Lowell is to the Red Sox. Thanks to the commitment of City Manager Donoghue, Senators Markey and Warren, Governor Baker, members of the Save the Spinners Task Force, and fans and supporters throughout the Merrimack Valley, we share that understanding with the Red Sox. We are proud to be working closely with them to not only keep baseball in Lowell, but to also keep the Red Sox in Lowell, and we look forward to announcing our plans once finalized.”
Heller has owned the Spinners since 2016. He says he is “hopeful” that his club and the Red Sox can continue their relationship and restore their affiliation in the future.
“I’ve spent a little over a year working to try to convince them to keep the affiliate in Lowell. Obviously, we weren’t successful,” Heller said during a Wednesday phone call. “That’s their decision, not my decision.
“I’m doing everything I can, at my end, to make sure that we have Lowell Spinners baseball in Lowell in 2021, and hopefully the city will want that, too.”
Heller, who is the president and CEO of Main Street Baseball, LLC, and has been the majority owner and managing partner of four affiliated minor league baseball teams, said the past year has certainly taken its toll.
“It’s been brutal. It’s been the most difficult thing that I’ve ever had to go through in my life,” said Heller. “It’s been horrible.”
Minor league clubs like the Spinners garnered significant local and national support over the past year. Trahan co-created the Save Minor League Baseball Task Force in the fall of 2019 with New York Democrat U.S. Rep/ Max Rose and Republican U.S. Reps. David McKinley of West Virginia and Mike Simpson of Idaho.
City officials have also been hard at work trying to keep Spinners baseball alive in Lowell.
“Since the Spinners’ first season in 1996, the Lowell community and the City have demonstrated an enduring appreciation of the indispensable asset that professional baseball represents to our region. This has been reflected in the strength of our team’s fan base and the continual investments put forward by the City to make LeLacheur Park a top-class baseball facility,” said City Manager Eileen Donoghue. “We believe strongly that baseball belongs in Lowell, and we are grateful that the Red Sox share in our commitment to ensure that it remains part of our community into the future.”
One source with knowledge said there is good reason to take the Sox at their word when the organization says it’s committed to working with Lowell. Heller and the Spinners may have the chance to play as an independent team in a newly formed MLB “Draft League” or showcase league that features young prospects. A source said the Red Sox could work with the Spinners by having legends like Pedro Martinez or David Ortiz serve as honorary captains. The source said keeping an affiliation or relationship with the Red Sox is crucial to maintaining strong attendance numbers and fan interest.
A source said there are many ongoing discussions about different forms of quality baseball being played in Lowell in 2021. Of course, the status of the pandemic will have a lot of say in determining what is viable. There is also the possibility of taking the year off and hoping for regaining affiliation with the Red Sox in 2022.
The Spinners have played home games at the 5,030-capacity LeLacheur Park since 1998. Prior to that, they played two seasons at Lowell’s Alumni Field. During the longtime ownership tenure of Drew and Joann Weber, the team sold out 413 straight games from 1999 through 2010. A franchise record 201,512 fans attended games in 2010 — one game that year was played at Fenway Park.
However, attendance had dipped considerably in recent years. The Spinners only averaged 3,051 fans per home game in 2019, their fifth straight year of averaging fewer than 4,000 fans per game.
Players such as David Eckstein, Kevin Youkilis, Anibal Sanchez, Hanley Ramirez, Jonathan Papelbon, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi have suited up for the Spinners.