Venezuelan Summer League close to folding, but still not a word about Curacao Summer League

In the Wall Street Journal there is an interesting article about the deteriorating Venezuelan Summer League.

Where the Houston Astros made the first step of what would become the Venezuelan Summer League, the league had more than twenty MLB clubs with an affiliation in the late 1990s. After the Seattle Mariners left their facility near capital Caracas last week, only four teams have an academy in Venezuela: The Philadelphia Phillies, Tampa Bay Rays, Detroit Tigers and Chicago Cubs.

The reason for this exodus is the political and social turmoil. The country is not safe anymore. Next to that the Venezuelan government has implemented travel restrictions for US citizens. They have to file for a visa three months in advance, something I wrote about in my post about the new baseball facility on Curacao. But also the economy that is in shambles makes it all very expensive to run a baseball busniness in Venezuela.

The situation has become unsafe for players too. There is a constant danger that they are kidnapped without the protection of a body guard. This makes many players decide to have their winter home in the US instead of in their native country.

Despite the end that is near for the VSL, not a word is said about the Curacao Summer League. For now MLB clubs are moving back to the US or to the Dominican Republic. I don’t understand why there is still nothing announced about it. Is it a secret or so? If all but four teams have left, one can hardly talk about a serious VSL anymore. In my previous posts it was merely speculation but now, with this article in The Wall Street Journal, it becomes obvious that the VSL is about to decease. And with the new baseball complex that is MLB worthy to be build in Curacao, it is like 1+1=2:

Next year Curacao will take over the starring role from Venezuela.