The 2020 Affiliation Dance - This year it's the BIG dance

[Ron Madden]

The Dodgers’ Triple-A (Oklahoma City) and Double-A (Tulsa) affiliations will remain intact. A source with direct knowledge of the situation told SCNG that a team based in Spokane, Washington will replace Rancho Cucamonga as the team’s High-A affiliate. Rancho Cucamonga will remain affiliated with the Dodgers, and join other California League teams in moving from a High-A to Low-A classification.

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2020/11/...ogden-in-2021/

[dougdirt]

https://www.dailybreeze.com/2020/11/...ogden-in-2021/

From JJ Cooper of Baseball America (https://twitter.com/jjcoop36/status/...230098800644):
A source with direct knowledge tells me that the report of the Dodgers affiliating with Spokane for high Class A in 2021 is incorrect.

[JaxRed]

South Bend Cubs President was on radio yesterday.

RT 961Sportsbeat "
@SBCubs
President Joe Hart on the Midwest League going from 16 to 12 teams.....

Rumor mill has
Clinton and Burlington apart of the contraction list.

Two other teams will leave the Midwest League. Bowling Green possibly going to another league."


--------------------

That Bowling Green thing was part of the Chattanooga losing it's franchise to BG rumor.

He also mentioned the Dec 1st date. So we have about 10 more days before we know.

There has been minor speculation of Dayton going into Eastern League as AA

[texasdave]

https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/11/2...e-a-affiliate/

This sounds pretty official to me.

I am not sure what this means exactly. Does it mean that Round Rock is going to be in the Midwest League?

The team will play in the Pacific Coast League, replacing the Round Rock Express (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) as the top Astros affiliate. The move gives the Astros ownership of three of its four MiLB affiliates, with it looking like the team will be in the soon-to-be High-A Midwest League as well.

[dougdirt]

https://ballparkdigest.com/2020/11/2...e-a-affiliate/

This sounds pretty official to me.

I am not sure what this means exactly. Does it mean that Round Rock is going to be in the Midwest League?

I'm quite confused by the quoted statement with regards to the Midwest League. There's no way they are placing a team in Texas into the Midwest League, right? The travel for Round Rock would be insane.

[texasdave]

I'm quite confused by the quoted statement with regards to the Midwest League. There's no way they are placing a team in Texas into the Midwest League, right? The travel for Round Rock would be insane.

That confused me as well.

[JaxRed]

I think it's just poorly written. I took that to mean that Astros High A team will be in the Midwest League. They had Quad Cities before. They own the Fayetteville Woodpeckers which was high A. This tells me that Fayetteville will be Low A and they will have some Midwest League team.

[JaxRed]

Cooper from Baseball America had an article today about the re-org. Behind a paywall. I don't subscribe. Based on other people's comments, the minor league teams will be notified the 1st week of December and told their status. They will be offered a 10 year, take it or leave it deal. If a team balks, the same offer will go to one of the clubs that didn't make the cut.

Pioneer League might be a 'partner" league, so maybe Billings exists for a while.

AAA will play 144 games, AA 138, A ball 132. Previously they all played 140.

[RED VAN HOT]

Cooper from Baseball America had an article today about the re-org. Behind a paywall. I don't subscribe. Based on other people's comments, the minor league teams will be notified the 1st week of December and told their status. They will be offered a 10 year, take it or leave it deal. If a team balks, the same offer will go to one of the clubs that didn't make the cut.

Pioneer League might be a 'partner" league, so maybe Billings exists for a while.

AAA will play 144 games, AA 138, A ball 132. Previously they all played 140.

The article mentions the American Association, Atlantic, and Frontier leagues as partner leagues along with the Pioneer League. Also, mentions that the Mexican League is under consideration for this role. This is different from the Draft Scouting Leagues that will feature pre-draft prospects.

Any financial arrangements with the partner leagues is not clear from the article. My interpretation is that players previously drafted in the lower rounds (now truncated) can, if they wish, continue to pursue their baseball dream in the partner leagues with the hope of later joining an MLB affiliated team.

[dougdirt]

So, MLB wants to place Fresno, who has always been a Triple-A team, in Low-A as a part of the California League and the owners thus far have said no. Now MLB is telling them they have until Monday to accept the deal and agree to "release any legal claims" against MLB or any individual clubs, according to the Fresno Bee. https://www.fresnobee.com/sports/mlb...247444700.html

[JaxRed]

And you know that's how it's gone with teams like SugarLand. Give us part of the team or you get left out.

[JFLegal]

so, we still don't know where the reds' minor league affiliates will be next season? hopefully dayton moves up to AA as rumored.

[JaxRed]

so, we still don't know where the reds' minor league affiliates will be next season? hopefully dayton moves up to AA as rumored.

99% of rumors have Dayton moving to High A, not AA.

[dougdirt]

99% of rumors have Dayton moving to High A, not AA.

And the 1% of the rumors have 100% been by people HOPING for it without actually knowing anything other than they want Dayton to be a Double-A team. I've still never seen an actual report that there was ever a consideration to put Dayton into one of the Double-A leagues. I've seen a lot of people hoping for it on Redszone and on twitter, though.

[JaxRed]

MLB announced a MLB Draft League. 5 (soon to be 6) teams that got eliminated from affiliated ball get 68 game schedule. For draft eligible college players. All Star break coincides with draft. NOt sure how that works, Are players supposed to play for free after they get drafted?

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-draft-l...draft-coverage