Changes coming to minors but Trenton should be safe
Changes to Minor League Baseball are imminent after it signaled Tuesday that it is ready to agree to Major League Baseball’s proposal to cut affiliations from 160 to 120 next season.
The plan, first reported by Baseball America, would impact the development of hundreds of prospects while drastically cutting the cost to do so. The sides are scheduled to negotiate virtually on Wednesday.
The battle over proposed changes to the minor leagues had turned nasty and spilled out into the public with state representatives bringing the issue all the way to Washington, but the coronavirus pandemic that has brought the sports world to a screeching halt dramatically altered negotiations, according to the report.
MiLB denied in a statement later Tuesday that a deal for a drastic overhaul was in place.
“Recent articles on the negotiations between MiLB and Major League Baseball (MLB) are largely inaccurate,” the statement said. “There have been no agreements on contraction or any other issues. MiLB looks forward to continuing the good faith negotiations with MLB (on Wednesday) as we work toward an agreement that best ensures the future of professional baseball throughout the United States and Canada.”
Faced with severe financial strain because of the pandemic and the very likely possibility there will be no minor league season, MiLB clubs are in a tough negotiating position. MLB already took steps toward shrinking the number of affiliated teams when it agreed to a deal with the players’ union to cut the amateur draft from 40 rounds to five this year and 20 in 2021.
The Associated Press reported it’s on the table for MLB to take over all of the duties of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the minor league governing body. Instead of franchise affiliations, there would be licensing agreements, the report said. MLB would then sell sponsorship, licensing and media rights.
A new-look MiLB would feature four full-season affiliated teams, a rookie team at the minor league spring complex and prospects in a Dominican Summer League. The plan calls for eliminating the affiliations of 28 teams from Class A short season and Rookie Advanced leagues that don’t already play at spring training complexes.
It also proposed cutting Double-A franchises Binghamton and Erie of the Eastern League and Chattanooga and Jackson of the Southern League. Thunder GM Jeff Hurley declined comment through a team spokesperson, but he said last month that he expects baseball to remain in Trenton for the foreseeable future.
“We’re expecting baseball in Trenton for quite a number of years to come,” Hurley said at the time, although those comments were made before the coronavirus shutdown.
The Thunder have been affiliated with the Yankees since 2003 and have a Player Development Contract (PDC) with the club through 2022, but the new deal could allow MLB clubs to re-affiliate for any number of reasons.
Under the Yankees umbrella, the Thunder have been one of the Eastern League’s most successful franchises, with last season’s championship marking the fourth in club history.
“Our fans are going to come win or lose, but it’s an added bonus when you are partnered with the New York Yankees,” Hurley said last month. “Not only are you going to get the experience from the entertainment side of things, but you’re also going to see a great product on the field. We’ve been lucky enough with the Yankees to have four championships and it seems like we’re in the playoffs every year. The quality of baseball is something else we can really push to our fans.”