‘IT’S REALLY BAD’
This past offseason was considered to be the toughest most minor league teams had ever faced. Roughly a quarter of all Minor League Baseball teams were on the chopping block in a Major League Baseball proposal that headlined negotiations between MLB and MiLB on a new Professional Baseball Agreement for 2021.
Those issues, while still significant, have faded into the background. They have quickly been replaced at the forefront by the novel coronavirus outbreak, which has waylaid the 2020 plans of Minor League Baseball—and all of sports.
The PBA negotiations have been paused by both sides as they work to figure out how to adjust, adapt and answer the many questions raised by the suspension of the season.
As of mid-March, the long-term health effects of COVID-19 in the U.S. are not yet apparent. MiLB owners and operators all speak of their concerns for the actual health of their communities. But while that is seen as a future unknown, the financial ramifications are already quite clear.
Minor league teams already know that this season will be the most challenging financially that they have ever faced. The numbers vary, but without significant help from the government or others, estimates from people
