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For easy figures, if the Cardinals had 300 minor leaguers and paid every one of them $10,000 a year more, they would pay an additional $3 million. I don’t see where that should be a problem. I realize there would be some other increased costs, as well, but it is possible to do.
By reading this, I learned that Jeff Luhnow is the mastermind of the minor league reduction plans…
BILL MADDEN | Rob Manfred’s plan to destroy minor league baseball
In truth, as always, it’s designed to save money, lots of money, and the proprietors of these minor league teams, many of whom have their life savings invested in them, be damned.https://t.co/Kfah5Oz7eO
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) November 16, 2019
The saddest part of that is that during the lobbying for the bill, MLB threatened that teams would be eliminated if they did not get wage protection. They got it, but are later trying to get rid of teams, anyway. If any of the legislators remember that instead of the contributions they received, it could get tougher for MLB. Of course, the lawmakers who will be loudest are the ones in districts where the 42 teams are located.
Predictable and positive, but where were these members of Congress when MLB successfully lobbied them to pass the "Save America's Pastime Act", giving MLB protection to pay minor leaguers as seasonal employees? Now the legislators' districts are losing their teams so they care. https://t.co/vHEICGoBC4
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) November 19, 2019
I guess Gammons is saying that no one cares about minor leaguers other than themselves. Is that your interpretation?
Players/dreamers, people who make small change watching their passion, kids who can learn to love the affordably…few care about those who do. $ https://t.co/Q7P5Ly63Np
— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) November 19, 2019
I’m not sure I have any ability to decipher what Gammons is saying there. It seems like it’s missing a few key words.
I would like to see the MLB side of the story before passing judgement on this. We already know the perspective that most media types will invariably take.
"Congress Changes Tune on Minor League Baseball’s Problems" – Our nation’s lawmakers, who voted to protect MLB paying substandard wages to MiLB players, are now outraged that 42 of their local teams will be eliminated. They should have known better. https://t.co/nck8W0uzwm pic.twitter.com/6KqOBLXVe7
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) November 19, 2019
It would be interesting to see which Representatives supported HR5580 and who signed the letter to MLB. There was also a pretty big turnover in the last election so maybe some of those members were voted out. I don’t know because for the life of me I can’t seem to find which members voted for it. What made it even more crappy is the fact the bill was attached to a much bigger federal spending bill that needed to be passed.
I don’t know because for the life of me I can’t seem to find which members voted for it.
The best info I can find is that it was never voted on as a roll call individual vote but that it was attached to said spending bill. So whomever voted to approve that spending bill voted for SAPA.
If you don’t live in a MiLB team’s hometown or nearby you may take a different stand. There has to be a way to pay the players more AND support SAGA. It’s refreshing to see bi-partisan support for anything.
This is a comment from the Boston Globe story:
“Major League Baseball’s motivation for the changes is to upgrade minor-league facilities and re-align the geography of spread-out leagues in the hopes of allowing them to raise the currently meager salaries of minor-leaguers.”
What utter nonsense. The vast majority of minor league parks are new, or recently refurbished. I’ve been to ten of the parks on their list, and they are all baseball shrines. And if MLB wanted players paid more, they can easily raise their wages, with a snap of their fingers.
Re-aligning the geography of teams to cut down on travel and increase regional rivalries makes sense. But they don’t need to eliminate teams to do that.
Someone once said that the answer to 99 percent of questions that begin with “why” is always “money.” I really don’t know why MLB would do something this shortsighted and stupid. But you can be sure it will benefit their purse, not the players in A ball.
Alright, so I had some free time on my hands I wanted to see what representatives in Congress signed the letter and which teams (owners, employees, communities) were represented in the letter sent to MLB. The letter was signed by a bi-partisan group of 106 representatives. Another reason I wanted to do this is because I wanted to see which representatives may have supported the illogical Save America’s Pasttime Act (SAPA) that screwed over MiLB players under the guise that if this law didn’t pass MiLB teams would go out of business. Also, after SAPA was passed as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2018, a government spending bill that needed to be passed to fund the US government) there was an election. I wanted to see if there any representative that were just elected in 2018 that signed the letter to MLB and if any representatives that supported SAPA were not reelected or retired. So, for the first part of this undertaking I’m going to focus on the representatives who signed the letter to MLB.
After finding the list of names of the 106 representatives who signed the letter, I googled searched each one to determine the district they represent and when they were elected. I then got the list of 42 MiLB teams rumored to be on the chopping block and I found the zip codes of where their stadiums are located. Then I used a search on House.gov to look up the representatives for that specific zip code. Since I only used the zip codes there were some teams who had multiple representatives. Surprisingly there were a handful of teams that did not have a representative member sign the letter.
Names in bold indicate representatives elected after SALA was signed into law:
Terri Sewell ( D-AL 7th ) –
Jimmy Panetta ( D-CA 20th ) –
TJ Cox ( D-CA 21st ) –
John Garamendi ( D-CA 3rd ) –
Doris Matsui ( D-CA 6th ) –
Jerry McNerney ( D-CA 9th ) –
Joe Courtney ( D-CT 2nd ) – Connecticut Tigers
Lisa Blunt Rochester ( D-DE ) –
Abby Finkenauer ( D-IA 1st ) –
David Loebsack ( D-IA 2nd ) – Burlington Bees, Clinton LumberKings, Quad Cities River Bandits
Cindy Axne ( D-IA 3rd ) –
Lauren Underwood ( D-IL 14th ) –
John Yarmuth ( D-KY 3rd ) –
Lori Trahan ( D-MA 3rd ) – Lowell Spinners
Joseph P. Kennedy III ( D-MA 4th ) –
William R. Keating ( D-MA 9th ) –
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger ( D-MD 2nd ) –
Anthony G. Brown ( D-MD 4th ) –
David Trone ( D-MD 6th ) – Frederick Keys, Hagerstown Suns
Jamie Raskin ( D-MD 8th ) – Frederick Keys
Chellie Pingree ( D-ME 1st ) –
Elissa Slotkin ( D-MI 8th ) –
Andy Levin ( D-MI 9th ) –
Betty McCollum ( D-MN 4th ) –
Alma S. Adams ( D-NC 12th ) –
David Price ( D-NC 4th ) –
Chris Pappas ( D-NH 1st ) –
Ann McLane Kuster ( D-NH 2nd ) –
Deb Haaland ( D-NM 1st ) –
Dina Titus ( D-NV 1st ) –
Susie Lee ( D-NV 3rd ) –
Steven Horsford ( D-NV 4th ) –
Max Rose ( D-NY 11th ) – Staten Island Yankees
Jose Serrano ( D-NY 15th ) –
Sean Patrick Maloney ( D-NY 18th ) –
Antonio Delgado ( D-NY 19th ) –
Paul D. Tonko ( D-NY 20th ) –
Anthony Brindisi ( D-NY 22nd ) – Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Joseph Morelle ( D-NY 25th ) –
Brian Higgins ( D-NY 26th ) –
Kathleen M. Rice ( D-NY 4th ) –
Marcia L. Fudge ( D-OH 11th ) –
Tim Ryan ( D-OH 13th ) – Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Joyce Beatty ( D-OH 3rd ) –
Marcy Kaptur ( D-OH 9th ) –
Suzanne Bonamici ( D-OR 1st ) –
Peter A. DeFazio ( D-OR 4th ) –
Kurt Shrader ( D-OR 5th ) – Salem-Keizer Volcanoes
Chrissy Houlahan ( D-PA 6th ) –
Susan Wild ( D-PA 7th ) –
David N. Cicilline ( D-RI 1st ) –
Joe Cunningham ( D-SC 1st ) –
James E. Clyburn ( D-SC 6th ) –
Veronica Escobar ( D-TX 16th ) –
Marc Veasey ( D-TX 33rd ) –
Lloyd Doggett ( D-TX 35th ) –
Donald McEachin ( D-VA 4th ) –
Peter Welch ( D-VT ) – Vermont Lake Monsters
Suzan DelBene ( D-WA 1st ) –
Mark Pocan ( D-WI 2nd ) – Beloit Snappers
Mike D. Rogers ( R-AL 3rd ) –
Robert Aderholt ( R-AL 4th ) –
Rick Crawford ( R-AR 1st ) –
French Hill ( R-AR 2nd ) –
Steve Womack ( R-AR 3rd ) –
Kevin McCarthy ( R-CA 23rd ) – Lancaster JetHawks
Ken Calvert ( R-CA 42nd ) –
Scott R. Tipton ( R-CO 3rd ) – Grand Junction Rockies
Doug Lamborn ( R-CO 5th ) – Rocky Mountain Vibes
Michael Waltz ( R-FL 6th ) – Daytona Tortugas
Mike Simpson ( R-ID 2nd ) –
Jim Banks ( R-IN 3rd ) –
Brett Guthrie ( R-KY 2nd ) –
Andy Barr ( R-KY 6th ) – Lexington Legends
John Moolenaar ( R-MI 4th ) –
Greg Gianforte ( R-MT ) – Billings Mustangs, Great Falls Voyagers, Missoula PaddleHeads
Ted Budd ( R-NC 13th ) –
Mark Walker ( R-NC 6th ) – Burlington Royals
Richard Hudson ( R-NC 8th ) –
Christopher H. Smith ( R-NJ 4th ) –
Mark Amodei ( R-NV 2nd ) –
Elise Stefanik ( R-NY 21st ) –
Tom Reed ( R-NY 23rd ) –
John Katko ( R-NY 24th ) – Auburn Doubledays
Michael R. Turner ( R-OH 10th ) –
David Joyce ( R-OH 14th ) –
Brad R. Wenstrup ( R-OH 2nd ) –
Kevin Hern ( R-OK 1st ) –
Markwayne Mullin ( R-OK 2nd ) –
Fred Keller ( R-PA 12th ) – Williamsport Crosscutters, State College Spikes
Glenn “GT” Thompson ( R-PA 15th ) – State College Spikes
Mike Kelly ( R-PA 16th ) – Erie SeaWolves
Brian Fitzpatrick ( R-PA 1st ) –
William R. Timmons IV ( R-SC 4th ) –
David P. Roe ( R-TN 1st ) – Elizabethton Twins, Greeneville Reds, Johnson City Cardinals, Kingsport Mets
Tim Burchett ( R-TN 2nd ) –
Chuck Fleischmann ( R-TN 3rd ) – Chattanooga Lookouts
Mark E. Green ( R-TN 7th ) –
David Kustoff ( R-TN 8th ) – Jackson Generals
Rob Bishop ( R-UT 1st ) – Ogden Raptors
Chris Stewart ( R-UT 2nd ) –
Robert J. Wittman ( R-VA 1st ) –
Denver Riggleman ( R-VA 5th ) – Danville Braves
H. Morgan Griffith ( R-VA 9th ) – Bluefield Blue Jays, Bristol Pirates
David McKinley ( R-WV 1st ) –
Carol D. Miller ( R-WV 3rd ) – Princeton RaysTeams that were not represented:
Florida Fire Frogs
West Virginia Power
Batavai Muckdogs
Tri-City Dust Devils
Idaho Falls Chukars
Orem Owlz
Lancaster Jets (Note: CA 25th District is Vacant but CA-23rd signed letter so they would technically be represented)Here is the full set of MiLB rumored to be eliminated:
Eastern League (Double-A)
Binghamton Rumble Ponies
Erie SeaWolvesSouthern League (Double-A)
Chattanooga Lookouts
Jackson GeneralsFlorida State League (High-A)
Daytona Tortugas
Florida Fire FrogsCalifornia League (High-A)
Lancaster JetHawksCarolina League (High-A)
Frederick KeysMidwest League (Low-A)
Quad Cities River Bandits
Burlington Bees
Clinton LumberKingsSouth Atlantic League (Low-A)
Hagerstown Suns
Lexington Legends
West Virginia PowerNew York-Penn League (Short Season A)
Auburn Doubledays
Batavia Muckdogs
Connecticut Tigers
Lowell Spinners
Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Williamsport Crosscutters
State College Spikes
Staten Island Yankees
Vermont Lake MonstersNorthwest League (Short Season A)
Tri-City Dust Devils
Salem-Keizer VolcanoesAppalachian League (Rookie)
Bluefield Blue Jays
Bristol Pirates
Burlington Royals
Danville Braves
Elizabethton Twins
Greeneville Reds
Johnson City Cardinals
Kingsport Mets
Princeton RaysPioneer League (Rookie)
Billings Mustangs
Grand Junction Rockies
Great Falls Voyagers
Idaho Falls Chukars
Missoula PaddleHeads
Ogden Raptors
Orem Owlz
Rocky Mountain VibesImpressive research!
So, if my count is right, just 27 of the 106 are new to Congress since SAPA was passed.
this is ridiculous. baseball is just trying to ruin itself more and more everyday. its just about eliminating jobs, saving them money. sure they are saying it will raise the wages for everyone else but even so, at what cost. most of that money is still going to go to the best players not the average ones as they are signing them. I think its more about them pocketing the money. shutting down teams is not the way to grow your sport. the minor leagues is one of the best ideas that mlb ever came up with. I have pretty much ditched the other sports, if this goes through, ill probably ditch baseball.
My rough estimate says this will save the Cards $300k a year. Makes no economic sense.
40 players and coaches for 2 affiliates (80 total)
80×1200 a month x 2.5 months = $240k. Throw in some Spring training, EST, and some travel expenses and my guess you get to about $300k.
These points are disingenuous, especially when MLB teams keep expanding how many MiLB players they have in the Dominican Republic. Most teams have two affiliates and over 80 players at their DSL facilities, so their 4th point is rubbish.
Manfred said there were four reasons to cut 42 MiLB teams.
1. Inadequate facilities
2. 77 franchises have moved since 1990, making for untenable travel
3. Poor pay for minor leaguers
4. Drafting and signing players who don't have a realistic opportunity to make it to the bigs.— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) November 21, 2019
CC, in my initial article on this subject from a month ago, I arrived at an estimate of 65-70 player jobs in the Cards system to be eliminated. I came at the numbers from two different directions and the result was similar.
As always, the question is money. Who pays to operate Dream League teams? Who pays the players and coaches and on what scale? The perception exists that MLB is trying to pass all this expense to local team owners, which could make continued team operations impossible financially.
— Brian Walton (@B_Walton) November 26, 2019
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