The Seattle Times · Dec 11, 2019
Commissioner Rob Manfred: MLB ‘flexible’ on minor league cuts, irked by talks
SAN DIEGO — Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred countered outcry over Major League Baseball’s proposal to chop 42 farm teams by challenging the minors Wednesday to “move off the take-it-or-leave-it status quo approach” to their ongoing negotiations.
MLB and the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues are negotiating a minor league agreement to replace the contract expiring after the 2020 season. MLB has proposed cutting more than a quarter of its 160 affiliates, including the Mariners’ Class A affiliate West Virginia Power, citing concerns over the quality of facilities, travel and salaries for players.