Contraction of MiLB

[cboemmeljr]

 

[Can_of_corn]

MiLB doesn't have any leverage.  The only hope was that congress would get involved and why would they?

[Mr. Chewbacca Jr.]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

MiLB doesn't have any leverage.  The only hope was that congress would get involved and why would they?

If it wasn't happening during a pandemic, I think Congress would love to get involved. If you have an affiliate that is disappearing in your district, it definitely would serve your interest to get involved. Easy way to get support back home.

[Can_of_corn]

8 minutes ago, Mr. Chewbacca Jr. said:

If it wasn't happening during a pandemic, I think Congress would love to get involved. If you have an affiliate that is disappearing in your district, it definitely would serve your interest to get involved. Easy way to get support back home.

And the Senate?

 

[MurphDogg]

1 hour ago, Can_of_corn said:

And the Senate?

There was a Bipartisan resolution opposing it.

As I said before, if it does happen, I hope the Orioles give up Norfolk instead of Frederick. The Nationals would swoop into Frederick to increase their foothold in western Maryland (with Hagerstown among the contracted teams) and gain additional local fans. Obviously Norfolk is a larger market, but losing Frederick is more likely to result in the loss of future long-term Orioles fans (that would actually attend games in Baltimore) than the loss of Norfolk.

[Can_of_corn]

8 minutes ago, MurphDogg said:

There was a Bipartisan resolution opposing it.

As I said before, if it does happen, I hope the Orioles give up Norfolk instead of Frederick. The Nationals would swoop into Frederick to increase their foothold in western Maryland (with Hagerstown among the contracted teams) and gain additional local fans. Obviously Norfolk is a larger market, but losing Frederick is more likely to result in the loss of future long-term Orioles fans (that would actually attend games in Baltimore) than the loss of Norfolk.

Did it pass?

Also, it's a resolution, they don't really do anything.

[Aglets]

I definitely remember a lot of politicians squawking about this before.  There will be vocal protests.  But idk if Congress will really care enough to intervene.  It's a different world now.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, Aglets said:

I definitely remember a lot of politicians squawking about this before.  There will be vocal protests.  But idk if Congress will really care enough to intervene.  It's a different world now.

The Supreme Court also has shown a tendency to allow MLB to do what it wants.

[ArtVanDelay]

1 hour ago, MurphDogg said:

There was a Bipartisan resolution opposing it.

As I said before, if it does happen, I hope the Orioles give up Norfolk instead of Frederick. The Nationals would swoop into Frederick to increase their foothold in western Maryland (with Hagerstown among the contracted teams) and gain additional local fans. Obviously Norfolk is a larger market, but losing Frederick is more likely to result in the loss of future long-term Orioles fans (that would actually attend games in Baltimore) than the loss of Norfolk.

As someone who was born and raised in Frederick, I agree that giving up Norfolk is the better option (maybe I’m biased).  But I was of the understanding that Frederick is also being contracted.  I didn’t think the Orioles had a choice in the matter.

[Mr. Chewbacca Jr.]

5 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:

And the Senate?

 

I think Senators would also take a great interest if they weren't completely occupied at the moment.

[MurphDogg]

4 hours ago, ArtVanDelay said:

As someone who was born and raised in Frederick, I agree that giving up Norfolk is the better option (maybe I’m biased).  But I was of the understanding that Frederick is also being contracted.  I didn’t think the Orioles had a choice in the matter.

The Orioles may not have a choice in which team is contracted, but the Keys are the only Orioles team on the list to be contracted while the Nats have two teams on the list, the Hagerstown Suns and the Auburn Doubledays.

So the Nats will be assigned one of the 120 teams that are not being contracted as their fourth minor league team along with the Fresno Grizzlies, Harrisburg Senators and the Fredericksburg Nationals. It would not surprise me if the Nats moved that new team to Frederick.

I propose that the Orioles move either the Tides or the Shorebirds to Frederick instead (obviously there would be level shuffling, I do not expect a AAA team to play in Frederick).

The Keys have the highest attendance of the teams to be contracted (57th overall among minor league teams, for a bad 2019 team with DL Hall as the lone bright-spot on a team with a sub-.400 winning percentage). Delmarva was 81st in attendance with a .652 winning percentage.

The next highest ranked team on the contraction list is Lexington at 65 overall. Chattanooga, Binghamton and Erie are the only other teams in the top 100 in attendance on the list to be contracted. My guess is that all 5 of these cities end up getting filled with relocated teams rather than end up out of organized baseball altogether.

If the Tides did move, Norfolk would certainly end up with a team (the Nats make sense as a landing spot, since their AAA team is out in California), but long term, in my opinion it would hurt the Orioles more to cede Western Maryland to the Nats than South-Eastern Virginia or Salisbury.

[Satyr3206]

On 4/21/2020 at 11:40 AM, cboemmeljr said:

 

Sad day. Lots of guys that love baseball are out of jobs.

[DrungoHazewood]

On 4/21/2020 at 11:45 AM, Can_of_corn said:

MiLB doesn't have any leverage.

That's the downside of a business model that relies on another for-profit organization's beneficence.  100 years ago MiLB started down the path of not being fiscally sustainable without subsidies from MLB, and that's with paying players in magic beans and gruel.

If MiLB didn't have MLB subsidies and they had to pay minimum wage we'd probably have 30-50 affiliated minor league teams instead of 160.

[jarman86]

On 4/21/2020 at 9:55 PM, MurphDogg said:

I propose that the Orioles move either the Tides or the Shorebirds to Frederick instead (obviously there would be level shuffling, I do not expect a AAA team to play in Frederick).

The Keys have the highest attendance of the teams to be contracted (57th overall among minor league teams, for a bad 2019 team with DL Hall as the lone bright-spot on a team with a sub-.400 winning percentage). Delmarva was 81st in attendance with a .652 winning percentage.

The next highest ranked team on the contraction list is Lexington at 65 overall. Chattanooga, Binghamton and Erie are the only other teams in the top 100 in attendance on the list to be contracted. My guess is that all 5 of these cities end up getting filled with relocated teams rather than end up out of organized baseball altogether.

If the Tides did move, Norfolk would certainly end up with a team (the Nats make sense as a landing spot, since their AAA team is out in California), but long term, in my opinion it would hurt the Orioles more to cede Western Maryland to the Nats than South-Eastern Virginia or Salisbury.

Norfolk won't get moved to Frederick.  There is criteria for each level, and Frederick doesn't even have a stadium to qualify for Double A.  Delmarva is closer for teams in the South Atlantic League or Carolina League which is one of the stated goals of less travel.  

Aberdeen is not going anywhere, Ripken won't allow it and unfortunately the deal between Wilmington and Ripken to agree to Aberdeen having a team probably keeps Wilmington a viable minor league town.

If Frederick City could upgrade Harry Grove to Double A standards, maybe they could replace Richmond in the Eastern League as it is the furthest team in the league and Frederick is roughly an hour from Bowie and Harrisburg, but they wouldn't be an Oriole affiliate at that point.  

Other than that, unfortunately I see Frederick as the odd man out, which sucks having been a Keys fan since I was 3.

[jarman86]

2 hours ago, DrungoHazewood said:

That's the downside of a business model that relies on another for-profit organization's beneficence.  100 years ago MiLB started down the path of not being fiscally sustainable without subsidies from MLB, and that's with paying players in magic beans and gruel.

If MiLB didn't have MLB subsidies and they had to pay minimum wage we'd probably have 30-50 affiliated minor league teams instead of 160.

Drungo, I still think you are getting things confused.  Players are MLB team contracts, its not a form of subsidy.  MLB would still pay Minor League players beans if they played on all four backfields at their complex.  I mean, this is why players don't get paid in Minor League camp other than a small allotment for per diem.  

MLB just decided to send teams to these towns, which yes, not having to pay players helps Minor league teams keep prices low for tickets and has led to some teams still existing, i.e. Hagerstown.  But really the contraction is because MLB wants to pay players magic beans and gruel and a lot of this contraction talk is more, IMO to keep salaries low.  Wasn't an issue until it started popping into the public how these players barely get paid. Increased minor league salaries increase major league salaries, and that ultimately is what teams don't want.