2021 Brewers Affiliates

[balsamlaker]

I would say Fresno only affects Lancaster, as they are probably the 8th California League if Fresno does not join the Single-A league.

[balsamlaker]

MLB is getting close to 120 if you think about it. Twenty-three of the "contracted teams" have connected with the Appalachian League, Pioneer League, and Draft League. There is suppose to be a 6th team join the Draft League, Vermont Lake is expected to move to the Frontier League, and Tri-City and Norwich look like they are going to indy ball. That leaves only about a dozen teams on the initial contraction list without futures determined - Auburn, Batavia, Bowie, Burlington, Chattanooga, Clinton, Florida (FireFrogs), Jackson, Lancaster (CA), Lexington, Lowell, Port Charlotte, and Staten Island.

[madbad2000]

The thing that is frustrating about all of this is the purpose. Are you trying to limit travel within each league? Between levels within each teams farm system? Who are making the choices? So for some affiliates the team gets their desires even if it doesn't fit with goals above? Are you letting minor league cities negotiate ala Fresno when so many others were told yea or nay? If MLB is really running this show, it should not take this long. Put on your iron first and tell each team and affiliate what is what and move on. I agree with others about how affiliates need time to prep for schedule and their business for 2021. You don't just turn a switch and get an entire seasons worth of sponsors, promotions, staff, logistics, etc overnight.

[LincolnDD]

MLB is getting close to 120 if you think about it. Twenty-three of the "contracted teams" have connected with the Appalachian League, Pioneer League, and Draft League. There is suppose to be a 6th team join the Draft League, Vermont Lake is expected to move to the Frontier League, and Tri-City and Norwich look like they are going to indy ball. That leaves only about a dozen teams on the initial contraction list without futures determined - Auburn, Batavia, Bowie, Burlington, Chattanooga, Clinton, Florida (FireFrogs), Jackson, Lancaster (CA), Lexington, Lowell, Port Charlotte, and Staten Island.

 

Staten Island announced today that they're "ceasing operations" (and suing both MLB and the Yankees...). I wouldn't be surprised if another team ends up in the stadium (Independent League?) but the current entity is no more.

 

Port Charlotte is a relatively new entry to the contraction list, apparently pushed out by Daytona. There have also been some rumblings that Chattanooga may be safe, though I don't know what the corresponding move would be at AA; could also see Chattanooga end up in the SAL or Carolina League.

 

I've heard Kane County might not be safe.

[LincolnDD]

The thing that is frustrating about all of this is the purpose. Are you trying to limit travel within each league? Between levels within each teams farm system? Who are making the choices? So for some affiliates the team gets their desires even if it doesn't fit with goals above? Are you letting minor league cities negotiate ala Fresno when so many others were told yea or nay? If MLB is really running this show, it should not take this long. Put on your iron first and tell each team and affiliate what is what and move on. I agree with others about how affiliates need time to prep for schedule and their business for 2021. You don't just turn a switch and get an entire seasons worth of sponsors, promotions, staff, logistics, etc overnight.

 

I think the minors do need some modernization and reorganization, but MLB has handled these changes horribly. Given the pandemic, they should've pushed these changes out a year, along with all player development contracts that expired after the 2020 season that didn't happen, to give themselves ample time to work this plan. Getting the 2020 MLB season going required so much extra work that MiLB and this reorg didn't get the attention it needed.

 

FWIW, I don't think Fresno is negotiating for a chance to stay in AAA. I think they're negotiating with the city of Fresno over the stadium lease and trying to determine if running as a Low-A team is a viable option for both sides. Everything else at AAA looks pretty much set. I can't imagine they'd blow it all up at this point. Though, to your point, MLB has bungled this whole thing, so I guess anything is possible.

[MadThinker88]

Lincoln - I think your forgetting 1 big point: The overall PDA between MLB & the MiLB was set to expire at the end of Sept 2020. Without that base, the various agreements between teams like MKE & the various minor league clubs is akin to being in mud/quicksand. No firm base & the whole thing comes crashing down.

 

The overall negotiations & talk about updating/ modernizing the setup & framework (including elimination of some teams) came out over year ago (months before anyone ever heard of COVID). The COVID impact of this year has kept most of the self-serving politicians at bay & the loss of the season financially has put most of MiLB on shakier footing.

 

Personally I am in favor of the updating of the minor league structure as it was long overdue. That said, many more details should have been worked out & released already.

[Brewers Numbers]

I think we will be seeing alot of this

 

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/12/staten-island-yankees-cease-operations-team-files-lawsuit-against-yankees-mlb.html

Sounds like this isn't about MLB so much but promises made by the Yankees when they sold the team to the current owners.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/staten-island-yankees-file-lawsuit-against-mlb-new-york-yankees/

[LincolnDD]

Lincoln - I think your forgetting 1 big point: The overall PDA between MLB & the MiLB was set to expire at the end of Sept 2020. Without that base, the various agreements between teams like MKE & the various minor league clubs is akin to being in mud/quicksand. No firm base & the whole thing comes crashing down.

 

The overall negotiations & talk about updating/ modernizing the setup & framework (including elimination of some teams) came out over year ago (months before anyone ever heard of COVID). The COVID impact of this year has kept most of the self-serving politicians at bay & the loss of the season financially has put most of MiLB on shakier footing.

 

Personally I am in favor of the updating of the minor league structure as it was long overdue. That said, many more details should have been worked out & released already.

 

It's my understanding that the PDA that expired in September originated in 1990, and it's been extended multiple times (rather than renegotiated). If that's the case, because the pandemic disrupted the process and forced a lot of MLB's attention towards trying to get a workable MLB season, they could've extended the PDA another year (like they've extended it before) rather than try to rush the most significant changes to the minors in decades. It's clearly been a cluster, and extending it a year would've theoretically made for a smoother transition. That was my argument, anyway. I think BA even explained during this process that extending the agreement (even month by month) during current negotiations was on the table, along with coming to a new agreement, or simply walking away and spinning up a new player development system from scratch.

[MadThinker88]

But extension of the PDA would take both sides to agree to it.

 

MLB was not interested in extension because they saw a number of fundamental changes that were needed, the sooner the better.

MiLB was unlikely to agree to extension as there side had 2 different thought processes on how to proceed (a camp that wanted status quo or very limited changes/ a group that was open to more changes with limited contraction).

 

When you get to that point, kicking the can down the road for another year or 2 does very little.. Better to hammer things out & get a new item in place

[LincolnDD]

Gotcha. I don't necessarily agree, despite MLB's motivation to get this done, I think they could've come to a one-year extension agreement had they anticipated it stretching out this long. And I think the MiLB side would've been very open to it, if just to give teams an opportunity to promote one final season. I don't think most teams have any grounds to follow the Staten Island Yankees' lead in launching lawsuits, but I do think there will be some legal issues they'll have to deal with that wouldn't have otherwise come up if this had been handled better. My $0.02 of course.

[CheeseheadInQC]

I don’t think MLB has any interest in an extension because at its core I think this has been about power, not “modernization” or even cost savings. MLB is trying to bring everything under its direct control. Part of me thinks the contraction was nothing more than a strategy to force negotiations MLB had no interest in to break down.

[Brewers Numbers]

I think they are trying to get it done ahead of the scrutinization that will come from Senne v. MLB actually going to trial. They can try to claim credit for improving conditions for minor league players.

[balsamlaker]

Since MLB is taking their time, I am just going to keep making suggestions that I have no knowledge of...today's is Nashville connects with the Rays and the Brewers take over the Durham Bulls with its proximity to the Mudcats...

[LincolnDD]

Yeah, things have certainly quieted down in the last fews days. A little too quiet? A few teams have started trolling on Twitter:

 

https://twitter.com/Pelicanbaseball/status/1334301575158910976,

 

https://twitter.com/WSDashBaseball/status/1335028112128663553,

[balsamlaker]

Replying to a number of posts - I agree the Twins did well if they land both St. Paul and Wichita. If the Brewers only change is just at AAA going to Nashville, that is still a huge improvement in facilities. My prediction for the SALLY - Asheville, Augusta, CAROLINA, Charleston, Columbia, Down East, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Kannapolis, Myrtle Beach, and Rome. I put Hickory and Winston-Salem in the MAL, as Texas and the CWS already have a team in the SALLY.

[Brewers Numbers]

Yeah, things have certainly quieted down in the last fews days. A little too quiet? A few teams have started trolling on Twitter:

 

https://twitter.com/Pelicanbaseball/status/1334301575158910976,

 

https://twitter.com/WSDashBaseball/status/1335028112128663553,

I had a brief twitter discussion with JJ Cooper about eating bugs over the WS Dash tweets.

 

[LincolnDD]

I had a brief twitter discussion with JJ Cooper about eating bugs over the WS Dash tweets.

 

 

Ha, yeah, I saw that. And Cooper wasn't playing around with that "announcement" at all.

[LincolnDD]

Replying to a number of posts - I agree the Twins did well if they land both St. Paul and Wichita. If the Brewers only change is just at AAA going to Nashville, that is still a huge improvement in facilities. My prediction for the SALLY - Asheville, Augusta, CAROLINA, Charleston, Columbia, Down East, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Greenville, Kannapolis, Myrtle Beach, and Rome. I put Hickory and Winston-Salem in the MAL, as Texas and the CWS already have a team in the SALLY.

 

I'm having a hard time pinning down how the leagues will turn out. We still don't know how many teams will be in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest Leagues (and this assumes the Northwest League is going to drop to six). Ballpark Digest still seems insistent that there will be four High-A Leagues (in their email newsletter last Wednesday, they wrote: "the league realignments were [sic] detailed weeks ago will happen"), while Baseball America has reported there will be three.

 

Ballpark Digest has the Marlins in Asheville and the Pirates staying in Greensboro. Because both own their Florida State League teams that are heading to Low-A, that seems to suggest Asheville and Greensboro in High A. They also hint at the Nationals in Wilmington, which would presumably be High-A, which I guess would mean Fredericksburg in Low-A? I've also heard the Indians are likely to stay in Lynchburg, and since there's no real chance they leave Lake County at High A, that would put Lynchburg in the SAL.

 

Just a lot of confusion right now, even as we get close(?) to a final announcement.

[balsamlaker]

I know Fresno, Staten Island, and a couple of others are getting the attention; but I think how the MAL, SAL, and potentially Carolina Leagues break up may be the most intriguing. Do they break down purely geographically or do current affiliations and/or ownerships come into play?

[Eye Black]

From JJ Cooper:

 

Hearing from a significant number of sources that the MLB is expected to send out of the 120 invites on Wednesday. As always in this story things could change, but that is the expectation.

[Brewers Numbers]

From JJ Cooper:

 

Hearing from a significant number of sources that the MLB is expected to send out of the 120 invites on Wednesday. As always in this story things could change, but that is the expectation.

Same from Ballpark Digest:

Word is 120 will be announced Wednesday morning; yes, lineup is done. One huge problem: @MLB has not shared Professional Development License (PDL) with the 120. Teams will have a short amount of time to evaluate what is sure to be complex, one-sided license.

[Eye Black]

We should learn a lot more about this by the end of today. First news of the day is Baseball America reporting that the Frederick Keys will become the sixth member of the MLB Draft League. Some had previously speculated Frederick would be the Orioles Double-A affiliate.

[wibadgers23]

So MLB is expected to send out the invites today but I wonder how long before teams release that information and it becomes public knowledge?

[Eye Black]

So MLB is expected to send out the invites today but I wonder how long before teams release that information and it becomes public knowledge?

This was from Ballpark Digest last night:

 

MLB teams will announce affiliates beginning tomorrow. Guidelines from commissioner's office call for terse, two-[paragraph] releases announcing 4 MiLB teams offered a PDL--no praise for the affiliates.

[madbad2000]

We should learn a lot more about this by the end of today. First news of the day is Baseball America reporting that the Frederick Keys will become the sixth member of the MLB Draft League. Some had previously speculated Frederick would be the Orioles Double-A affiliate.

 

Im a bit surprised at this as the Keys provide a great experience and have good community support. Also helps they are an hour from Baltimore and would receive more rehab appearances than AA Bowie, which was closer to Baltimore.