MLB Reportedly Pursuing “Radical Restructuring” Of Lower Minors

[Z-Fly]

The problem is the children will realize the difference between rookie ball and no team being there, which is what will happen to probably 80% of the teams eliminated.

People show up in Greeneville to watch Jonathan India play. They aren't showing up to watch Andy Pitcher, guy who would have been the 33rd round draft pick if his draft round still existed.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the MLB clubs pay 100% of the salaries? If that’s the case, the minor league club should be paying the base salaries.

[mth123]

I think we're overstating the effect a minor league team has on a child growing up to be a fan. He's a fan because he sees Mike Trout, Aaron Judge or Mookie Betts on TV, not because some no name is playing in a park in his town that he generally won't even go to. To most kids, even the hottest prospects with the most hype are no names.

I grew up in a town without big league baseball and went to a lot of minor league games as a kid. I can assure you that I was a fan because of Pete Rose, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench, not because I saw Clyde Mashore and Sonny Roberto in AAA.

[Redsfaithful]

I think we're overstating the effect a minor league team has on a child growing up to be a fan. He's a fan because he sees Mike Trout, Aaron Judge or Mookie Betts on TV, not because some no name is playing in a park in his town that he generally won't even go to. To most kids, even the hottest prospects with the most hype are no names.

I grew up in a town without big league baseball and went to a lot of minor league games as a kid. I can assure you that I was a fan because of Pete Rose, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench, not because I saw Clyde Mashore and Sonny Roberto in AAA.

Kids become baseball fans by being around baseball, period, whether that means playing little league, watching MLB on tv or in person, going to minor league games. Hell, even going to the softball diamond and watching mom & dad.

This'll eliminate one of the ways kids become fans in those communities for sure.

Nobody with MLB seems to have any vision. It's already become a regional sport just in my lifetime, how much further can it fall?

[Boston Red]

There’s a whole generation of people in Louisville who grew up having Gene Roof as one of their baseball heroes. Who? Exactly.

[redsof72]

From a story in The Athletic with quotes from MiLB President Pat O’Conner:

Negotiations always include the possibility of a large first ask as a starting point, rather than an intended destination.

“I don’t know what would be more disappointing: that they’re playing that game, or that it’s real,” O’Conner said.

“This is a business deal with a big math equation in it, and that’s all it is.”

My personal take: Anyone that has been closely connected to Minor League Baseball in recent years knows that MLB has had many opportunities to easily address some of the issues they now are pointing to, yet they have shown zero interest. Suddenly, they are concerned about things like player travel. There were many steps that could have been taken over the last 30 years if they actually cared about helping their players. For starters, how about a rule requiring an afternoon game for the last game of any series that involved a 300 mile bus ride, so the players get to bed at a reasonable hour instead of 4:00 am? No interest whatsoever in anything like that from MLB, until now, suddenly. What has changed? The only thing changing is that after all the lawsuits, they now know they have to pay the players more money (something they fought hard, every step of the way).

[mth123]

Kids become baseball fans by being around baseball, period, whether that means playing little league, watching MLB on tv or in person, going to minor league games. Hell, even going to the softball diamond and watching mom & dad.

This'll eliminate one of the ways kids become fans in those communities for sure.

Nobody with MLB seems to have any vision. It's already become a regional sport just in my lifetime, how much further can it fall?

My personal experience is like that. I played all the time, but my interest came from reading about Pete Rose in the stats in the back of the paper on Sunday morning and listening to the Reds on the radio and watching on Tv on the rare occasion they were on. Now they are on every day. Kids have plenty of access to get them interested if they are inclined. I ended up at a lot of minor league games because my parents recognized how much I loved baseball, not the other way around. Honestly, I'd have rather stayed home and listened to the Reds on the radio.

I just think its society changing. In my opinion its the best game, but it isn't a fast moving game that's in fashion these days. we're a multi-tasking fast moving society with instant access to what we want. Baseball doesn't fit that pattern. Other than publicly fighting over money, which all sports do, I don't think Baseball has done much to offend any more than anything else has. For a lot of people its outdated. Just like Sears, VCRs and rotary phones. I like it the way it is and don't want to see a bunch of changes to appeal to the modern world. The runner on 2nd in extra innings and ties after twelve to appeal to the masses. I'd rather not change the fabric of the game to try to widen the appeal to the fad chasers.

Everybody is making a ton of money doing what they are doing. I've been hearing about how they are dying for 40+ years now. I think it's exaggerated.

[Sea Ray]

From a story in The Athletic with quotes from MiLB President Pat O’Conner:

Negotiations always include the possibility of a large first ask as a starting point, rather than an intended destination.

“I don’t know what would be more disappointing: that they’re playing that game, or that it’s real,” O’Conner said.

“This is a business deal with a big math equation in it, and that’s all it is.”

My personal take: Anyone that has been closely connected to Minor League Baseball in recent years knows that MLB has had many opportunities to easily address some of the issues they now are pointing to, yet they have shown zero interest. Suddenly, they are concerned about things like player travel. There were many steps that could have been taken over the last 30 years if they actually cared about helping their players. For starters, how about a rule requiring an afternoon game for the last game of any series that involved a 300 mile bus ride, so the players get to bed at a reasonable hour instead of 4:00 am? No interest whatsoever in anything like that from MLB, until now, suddenly. What has changed? The only thing changing is that after all the lawsuits, they now know they have to pay the players more money (something they fought hard, every step of the way).

A rule about an afternoon game before certain travel days would have zero effect on MLB but might have quite the negative effect on the owners of these minor league teams. It could effect ticket sales. First of all I think minor league baseball already has a lot of day games on getaway day but if you think they need more, fine. Who do you need to lobby? The Reds or Greg Rosenbaum, Nick Sakellariadis and Michael Savit, the owners of the Dayton Dragons? Is MLB really mandating gametimes for the Dayton Dragons?

[Kc61]

I think we're overstating the effect a minor league team has on a child growing up to be a fan. He's a fan because he sees Mike Trout, Aaron Judge or Mookie Betts on TV, not because some no name is playing in a park in his town that he generally won't even go to. To most kids, even the hottest prospects with the most hype are no names.

I grew up in a town without big league baseball and went to a lot of minor league games as a kid. I can assure you that I was a fan because of Pete Rose, Tony Perez and Johnny Bench, not because I saw Clyde Mashore and Sonny Roberto in AAA.

TV? It’s on your phone. It’s the internet that spreads interest.

It doesn’t have to be watching a complete game. It’s watching a highlight. A brief You Tube video or a link sent by a friend. A trending name on social media.

This is how baseball will target young fans.

[mth123]

TV? It’s on your phone. It’s the internet that spreads interest.

It doesn’t have to be watching a complete game. It’s watching a highlight. A brief You Tube video or a link sent by a friend.

Agreed. My point exactly. It was only radio when I was a kid other than a rare exception. Kids have plenty of access to baseball and my guess is the local minor league team isn't the first choice.

[redsof72]

A rule about an afternoon game before certain travel days would have zero effect on MLB but might have quite the negative effect on the owners of these minor league teams. It could effect ticket sales. First of all I think minor league baseball already has a lot of day games on getaway day but if you think they need more, fine. Who do you need to lobby? The Reds or Greg Rosenbaum, Nick Sakellariadis and Michael Savit, the owners of the Dayton Dragons? Is MLB really mandating gametimes for the Dayton Dragons?

Huh? Isn’t that what MLB is saying this is all about? They want to mandate rules to the minor league teams for things like better travel for players. That is what they are saying, not what I am saying. I am saying I don’t buy it, that they actually don’t care, and that it is all about the money.

[redsof72]

Just a quick note on minor league player salaries that I think shows how MLB let the whole thing get out of control:

Would it surprise you if it was pointed out that Hunter Greene’s signing bonus out of high school was actually more than the total combined salaries for a full season of an entire Single-A team...all 25 players for the full season? Would that surprise you? Maybe not. Ok.

Would it surprise you to know that Greene’s signing bonus is more than an entire Single-A team, all 25 players, for every full season, FOR THE NEXT 37 YEARS? Would that surprise you?

So now the courts want them to fix their mess. And their way of fixing it is...this.

[Sea Ray]

Huh? Isn’t that what MLB is saying this is all about? They want to mandate rules to the minor league teams for things like better travel for players. That is what they are saying, not what I am saying. I am saying I don’t buy it, that they actually don’t care, and that it is all about the money.

No question, it is all about the money. My point here is whose money? MLB's or the minor league owners? That's the clash we're trying to sort out here

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Just a quick note on minor league player salaries that I think shows how MLB let the whole thing get out of control:

Would it surprise you if it was pointed out that Hunter Greene’s signing bonus out of high school was actually more than the total combined salaries for a full season of an entire Single-A team...all 25 players for the full season? Would that surprise you? Maybe not. Ok.

Would it surprise you to know that Greene’s signing bonus is more than an entire Single-A team, all 25 players, for every full season, FOR THE NEXT 37 YEARS? Would that surprise you?

So now the courts want them to fix their mess. And their way of fixing it is...this.

What court case are you referring to?

[redsof72]

No question, it is all about the money. My point here is whose money? MLB's or the minor league owners? That's the clash we're trying to sort out here

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What court case are you referring to?

There’s been more than one. I will list a couple links below. MLB has already spent millions on lobbying, and if you read the story in the Athletic that I quoted earlier in a post, it talks about those efforts. While MLB has not suffered a clear “loss” in any of these cases, they have publicly conceded that they now acknowledge the need to increase pay for minor leaguers as a result of the pressure. The legal efforts have not ended. There is a definite Curt Flood quality to these suits (as I am sure you know, Flood lost his case, but it still changed everything).

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...suit/39971349/

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/03/63537...te-new-obstacl

[North]

There’s been more than one. I will list a couple links below. MLB has already spent millions on lobbying, and if you read the story in the Athletic that I quoted earlier in a post, it talks about those efforts. While MLB has not suffered a clear “loss” in any of these cases, they have publicly conceded that they now acknowledge the need to increase pay for minor leaguers as a result of the pressure. The legal efforts have not ended. There is a definite Curt Flood quality to these suits (as I am sure you know, Flood lost his case, but it still changed everything).

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...suit/39971349/

https://www.npr.org/2018/08/03/63537...te-new-obstacl

..."In 2016, the Save America’s Pastime Act was introduced as a bill by two members of congress, Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-Ill.) and Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.)."...

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/3/...ericas-pastime

[TNRED]

Maybe we just need to trash the entire system. Turn it all into a video game. Eliminate actual players and make the programmers the stars.