MLB Proposal Would Eliminate 42 Minor League Teams

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The Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA) between Major League Baseball and minor league teams expires at the end of the 2020 season. But if a new MLB proposal were to become reality, more than three dozen cities with affiliated minor league teams will lose those teams a year from now and thousands of minor league players will be out of work as well.

The MLB proposal is just one idea at the start of what will likely be a lengthy negotiation, but the two sides are further apart than they have been in any PBA negotiation since 1990. At the core of the negotiations, MLB is looking to dramatically improve Minor League Baseball’s stadium facilities as well as take control over how the minor leagues are organized as far as affiliations and the geography of leagues. Those areas have been under the control of MiLB for the past 100-plus years and would lead to a dramatic restructuring of how MiLB is governed and operates.
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MLB Proposal Would Eliminate 42 Minor League Teams — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America

If the proposal, or some version of it, is adopted, it will lead to the most dramatic restructuring of the minor leagues in more than half a century.
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This proposal is a non-starter. MiLB will not -- nor should they -- accept this at all.
If anything, given the riches that have been gained by the MLB clubs -- while also reaping the benefits of the players coming through the minors -- it seems to me that MLB should be the party that puts some of those $$$ into the minor league system. If the MLB clubs want better facilities for their minor league players, then let them put their money where their mouth is instead of expecting others to continue to provide for them.
 
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Wishful thinking: maybe the Dayton Dragons will become Class AAA instead of Class A. That would be cool! :)
 
So would many of these minor league teams become independent teams, which there are a bunch of already?
 
Red14 said:
So would many of these minor league teams become independent teams, which there are a bunch of already?
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That depends on the team owners. They depend on the MLB affiliation for players, coaching and some funding. Without that, my guess is many will fold up.
 
Last I heard they were still planning to go through with this. The 5 Round draft leads me to believe that's still the case
 
Still has to be negotiated. The 5 round draft is a different situation that has to do more with the Covid crisis. But, I think the root of the consolidation has to do with the pressure the Major League clubs are getting to provide their Minor leaguers with a higher base salary. California is hammering the MLB about this and they should. The reality is that a small percentage of Minor League players make it to the SHOW and MLB is having a hard time justifying the expense. In some ways, I get it. In some ways, I see it as very short sighted.
 
I agree that a big reason for cutting teams is the demand of higher salaries and working conditions. Not many people outside of baseball fans realize how little those guys are paid. A large majority work second jobs just to make ends meet during the offseason.
 
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