LETTER: Major League Baseball wants to protect minor league teams
Major League Baseball wants to protect minor league teams
In the Observer-Reporter’s recent editorial, “Let Small Cities Keep Minor League Baseball Teams,” the editorial board inaccurately portrays MLB’s position in negotiations with Minor League Baseball.
MLB is committed to protecting baseball in communities across Pennsylvania, which is why we have subsidized minor league operations at a rate of hundreds of millions of dollars per year over the past decade. Our goal is to modernize the minors by improving pay and working conditions for minor leaguers and helping players develop into the next generation of big league stars.
However, Minor League Baseball owners have refused to bear any portion of the contemplated cost increases for improving facilities, working conditions and pay. Instead, they’ve indicated that they would prefer to simply eliminate franchises.
MLB wants to grow baseball, not eliminate clubs. We have made clear to Minor League Baseball during negotiations that there is a plan for every minor league club to continue operations with support from MLB.
And yet, Minor League owners have moved their teams 77 times since 1990. Six owners are actively considering relocation today. MLB wants to protect baseball in Pennsylvania. Minor League owners need to make that same commitment. Dan Halem
New York