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The Tri-City ValleyCats are suing the Houston Astros and Major League Baseball due to the contraction of this offseason in minor baseball, reports the Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan. They become the second known affiliate to take legal action against their former parent club and the league; the Staten Island Yankees did the same in December.
The ValleyCats are asking for at least $ 15 million in damages, Kaplan reports. The crux of the team’s claims is that it relied on the now expired affiliation agreement between Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball to sell tickets and advertising sponsorships, which have lost value. when the club lost its affiliation with Major League Baseball. The ValleyCats remain operational as a member of the Frontier League, MLB partner, but will no longer be traditional minor league affiliates.
The Tri-City complaint (more details of which can be found in Kaplan’s full article) harshly criticizes MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. “MLB’s bullying tactics, which it used to pit MiLB teams against each other for the ‘privilege’ of not having their businesses destroyed, have continued for years, but have been very clearly demonstrated by a May 2020 email in which Commissioner Rob Manfred emailed the ValleyCats. the owner’s condolences for his father’s passing, then in the same email, issued a veiled threat that any public statement made about MLB’s contraction efforts would be ‘recklessThe ValleyCats alleged.
Former Tri-City owner Bill Gladstone died of complications from COVID-19 last spring, Kaplan notes, along with Gladstone’s son Doug upon receipt of Manfred’s alleged correspondence.
It wouldn’t be surprising to see more teams that have lost their affiliation follow the lead of the Yankees and ValleyCats (Staten Island) in bringing lawsuits against their former parent clubs and the MLB. The restructuring of the minor league resulted in the loss of 40 teams from their affiliation with Major League Baseball.
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