MiLB Management Is Going to Fight MLB to Maintain Independence.

Just five weeks after the MiLB President Pat O’Connor announced the cancellation of the 2020 season, the head of the minor leagues dismissed the organization’s committee that was in charge of negotiations with the MLB to sign a new cooperation agreement. However, MiLB Management is going to fight MLB to maintain independence.

Changes

If anyone doesn’t know, the current agreement, according to which Major League clubs provide players, coaches and their salaries, and Minor League clubs provide everything else, expires on September 30th. The parties, relations between which have been relatively calm for a very long time, have been in constant conflict of interest since November last year.

The MLB management wants more power and control over the MiLB teams, and it also proposes to cut off a quarter of the MLB teams from affiliated baseball from next season at a time and without a transitional period, that is, to reduce the number of clubs by 40, together with players, coaches and employees of both clubs and stadiums.

Not Everyone Agrees

The MiLB leadership did not like such prospects from the outset, which automatically led to a confrontation between the two baseball structures. MiLB was going to stand their ground to the last, enlisting the support of the public.  

Sources say the new negotiators will include high-profile MILB club owners close to President O’Connor, who has a strong desire to maintain MILB’s independence and headquarters in St. Pete. An important detail: if the previous group of negotiators on all issues communicated with the second or third persons of the league commissioner’s office, then the new committee will speak directly only with Rob Manfred.

The expiration of the agreement and not signing a new one could theoretically lead to dramatic changes in the entire construction of the North American professional baseball system. Let us see if MiLB Management is really going to fight MLB to maintain independence.

Also, you can read about How and Why Has Yoenis Céspedes Ended the Season?