Major League Baseball, whose abbreviated 2020 season is set to begin in late July after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the league to shut down for several months, informed its Minor League organization on Tuesday night that they will not be able to hold their 2020 season.
Minor League Baseball, an organization affiliated with the MLB which contains several levels of professional baseball that are used to develop young players, has been a crucial part of the league’s structure since being formed in 1901.
This season’s cancellation puts many of the league’s 100+ franchises in financial danger, as revenue from ticket sales, merchandise, and food and beverage purchases will effectively dwindle to zero in 2020 for an industry that does not make a lot of money in the first place.
Despite the rough news for Minor League Baseball, league Commissioner Pat O’Conner understood why the decision was made. “I had a conversation with (MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred), and we were unable to find a path that allowed us to play games,” he said. “It wasn’t an acrimonious decision on our part.”
The league will now hope that the pandemic slows down enough to allow teams and players to return to the field in 2021.
