Final MiLB alignment postponed

It looks like the final announcement of the future Minor League Landscape will not come before December 8. The final say was expected to be announced today, but according Ballpark Digest, it will take a bit longer.

Strange thing is that for a plan that is in the making for 14 months, so many last-minute decisions are made. For teams that have been named on the list of 42 teams, many have not heard a thing yet. These clubs are in limbo because they cannot proceed with the preparations of the 2021 season because of the situation they are in. They simply don’t know whether they will be around next year or if they will still be in affiliated ball.

According to Tri-CityValleyCats General Manager Matt Callahan, the club is still unaware about its future. The club could be one of the 120 remaining clubs, but is rumored to move to indy ball. “We continue to work behind the scenes and work with some of our elected officials locally and across the state to try to make sure that Major League Baseball understands how important professional baseball is to the Capital Region. We’re also reaching out to a variety of contacts throughout the industry to try to make sure that we’re under consideration and in the best position to maintain an affiliation. Really at this point, we’re waiting to hear back from Major League Baseball and what that final list of 120 teams will look like,” Callahan added on how they and many other teams across the baseball landscape are awaiting the final verdict on the new minor-league structure.”

MLB’s indecisiveness has effects on its Partner Leagues, which can’t finalize their lineups until they know if an affiliated team will be joining their ranks, as well as some of the eastern summer-collegiate leagues, whose lineups may also be affected by developments in the 2021 MiLB reorganization.

As you could read yesterday, of the 42 clubs planned to be kicked out of affiliated ball, 23 have found a league to play in. Three more are likely to move to independent ball. If the latter is true, still 18 clubs are in doubt where they will play next year or even IF they will be around next year.

MLB should be ashamed of itself to leave this many MiLB clubs in doubt about their future. Likely one of the reasons is the extra time the Fresno Grizzlies got to find a solution for the situation the club is in.