Hudson Asks MLB Not To Eliminate Minor League Teams

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (NC-08) joined a bipartisan effort with more than 100 of his colleagues in the House of Representatives to urge Major League Baseball (MLB) to abandon its plan to eliminate 42 Minor League teams. This effort follows recent reporting that the MLB’s proposal would eliminate 42 affiliated teams in total and would shrink the number of affiliated minor league teams by 25 percent.

In a letter written to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, with every team copied, the Members of Congress underscored the damage this move would cause to the local communities where the teams are located.

The MLB plan was offered in spite of the fact that Minor League Baseball (MiLB) just completed its 15^th consecutive season with an attendance above 40 million; and it was the ninth-largest single season total in MiLB’s 100-plus year history. Many of the Minor League clubs would fail without a PDC—leaving as many as 1,200 players out of work and letting down the fans, players, municipalities, stadium vendors and employees who have supported these clubs for decades.

You can view the final letter HERE and see the text below:

November 18, 2019

Dear Commissioner Manfred,

We are writing to express our firm opposition to Major League Baseball’s radical proposal to eliminate numerous Minor League Baseball clubs. If enacted, it would undermine the health of the minor league system that undergirds talent development and encourages fan loyalty. It would particularly be felt in areas far from a major league team or where tickets to a major league game are cost-prohibitive.

Tens of millions of fans attend Minor League Baseball games each season. These professional baseball clubs are vital components of our communities because they provide affordable, family-friendly entertainment to members of our communities, support scores of allied businesses, employ thousands of individuals, donate millions of dollars in charitable funds, and connect our communities to Major League Baseball. A number of these Minor League clubs operate at a loss but continue to persist due to strong fan support and club ownerships’ commitment to their communities and America’s Pastime.

The abandonment of Minor League clubs by Major League Baseball would devastate our communities, their bond purchasers, and other stakeholders affected by the potential loss of these clubs. We want you to fully understand the impact this could have not only on the communities we represent, but also on the long-term support that Congress has always afforded our national pastime on a wide variety of legislative initiatives.

For over a century, Congress has taken numerous actions specifically designed to protect, preserve, and sustain a system and structure for both Major and Minor League Baseball to flourish.

You are the most important steward of the great game of baseball and tasked with ensuring the popularity and love of it across the world. Reducing the number of Minor League Baseball clubs and overhauling a century-old system that has been consistently safeguarded by Congress is not in the best interest of the overall game of baseball, especially when Major League Baseball’s revenues are at all-time highs.

As members of Congress who recognize the tremendous value of the Minor League system, we ask Major League Baseball to strongly reconsider its proposed course with Minor League Baseball and do all that it can to ensure the continuation of affiliated baseball in our communities.

Sincerely,

Representatives Lori Trahan, David McKinley, Mark Pocan, David Trone, Tim Ryan, Max Rose, David Loebsack, Joe Courtney, Jamie Raskin, William R. Keating, Deb Haaland, Susan Wild, Joseph Morelle, Cindy Axne, Marcy Kaptur, Joe Cunningham, TJ Cox, Veronica Escobar, Peter A. DeFazio, Chrissy Houlahan, Lauren Underwood, Brian Higgins, Elissa Slotkin, Sean Patrick Maloney, Joseph P. Kennedy, III, Suzan DelBene, Ann McLane Kuster, Peter Welch, Anthony Brindisi, Chris Pappas, David Price, John Yarmuth, Kathleen M. Rice, Joyce Beatty, Andy Levin, Doris Matsui, Abby Finkenauer, John Garamendi, Lloyd Doggett, Alma S. Adams, Ph.D., Steven Horsford, Kurt Shrader, Jimmy Panetta, David N. Cicilline, Jose Serrano, Marc Veasey, Dina Titus, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Suzanne Bonamici, Antonio Delgado, Marcia L. Fudge, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, James E. Clyburn, Susie Lee, Jerry McNerney, Terri Sewell, Betty McCollum, Paul D. Tonko, Chellie Pingree, Anthony G. Brown, Donald McEachin, Elise Stefanik, Rob Bishop, David P. Roe, M.D., Scott R. Tipton, Denver Riggleman, John Moolenaar, Andy Barr, Chris Stewart, Mike Simpson, Mark E.Green, MD, Brian Fitzpatrick, Michael R.Turner, Glenn "GT" Thompson, David Kustoff, Jim Banks, Steve Womack, Chuck Fleischmann, Fred Keller, Doug Lamborn, H. Morgan Griffith, Tim Burchett, Mike D. Rogers, Kevin Hern, John Katko, Rick Crawford, Mark Amodei, Mark Walker, Brett Guthrie, Carol D. Miller, Robert Aderholt, Tom Reed, Robert J. Wittman, Mike Kelly, French Hill, Greg Gianforte, David Joyce, Markwayne Mullin, Ted Budd, William R. Timmons IV, Christopher H. Smith, Michael Waltz, Richard Hudson, Ken Calvert, Brad R. Wenstrup, and Kevin McCarthy.