The nearly 25-year affiliation between the Lowell Spinners and the Red Sox would end under a radical reorganization proposal from Major League Baseball which leaked Friday, one that would shrink the number of affiliated minor league teams by 25 percent.
Short-season leagues, including the New York-Penn League in which Lowell plays, would be disbanded under the plan, which would eliminate 42 affiliated teams in total. Because MLB views Lowell and the Spinners’ home, Edward A. LeLacheur Park, as “good,’’ the franchise would continue to exist in the “Dream League,’’ an MLB concept in line with independent or college leagues.