Cooper: MLB threat pushes negotiations with MiLB to another level
From J.J. Cooper at Baseball America on December 14, 2019:
Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball shared the same Las Vegas hotel at last year’s Winter Meetings. A year later, the MLB contingent was at the Grand Hyatt, while MiLB was housed at a Hilton down the road. Physically, the two groups were separated by only a mile. After a few rounds of negotiations—both in conference rooms and in the media—the sides appear much farther apart.
When negotiators for both sides met on Dec. 6, the rhetoric was turned down. The meetings were described by both sides as cordial and both MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MiLB president Pat O’Conner each made conciliatory public comments.
After the meetings, however, the sides were no closer to an agreement. Instead of working on the issues on which both sides have demonstrated some common ground (increased facility standards, reduced travel through interleague play or other schedule tweaks) the discussions began with MLB’s plan to eliminate short-season and rookie leagues that are not solely owned and run by MLB.
Read the full article here: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-threat-pushes-negotiations-with-milb-to-another-level/
Originally published: December 16, 2019. Last Updated: December 16, 2019.