Since Baseball America broke the news of a radical plan to reduce the amount of minor leagues, there have been rumors about which teams would be eliminated. While the initial proposal was to eliminate short season affiliates, in concept, there was at least an allowance for teams to change their affiliation agreements.
This put teams like the Brooklyn Cyclones and Kingsport Mets in jeopardy. In terms of Kingsport, due to their needing stadium upgrades and the Mets not owning the team, they were in a truly perilous spot. Brooklyn was in a considerably different position as they were wholly owned by the team, and they play in an up-to-date ballpark in close proximity to the Major League club.
In a report by Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, he confirms Major League Baseball’s plan for the elimination of short season leagues like the Appalachian and New York-Penn Leagues. The elimination of the Appalachian League will mean there will be no more Kinsport Mets. With the elimination of the New York-Penn League, it is going to mean the elimination of the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.
Under the proposed realignment, the Brooklyn Cyclones would be elevated from the New York-Penn League to the Double-A Eastern League taking the place of the Rumble Ponies.
In an interview with Nicole Menner of WBNG, Rumble Ponies owner John Hughes has confirmed the team has been contacted by Major League Baseball about eliminating them. In the interview, Hughes notes the Rumble Ponies should not be one of the teams under consideration.
Notably, Hughes notes not just how the Eastern League has one of the shorter travel schedules, but his team has worked with the city and state to renovate NYSEG Stadium. To that end, the Rumble Ponies are set to host the 2020 Eastern League All-Star Game. Because of the travel schedule and the ballpark upgrades, he is still hopeful there will be a spot for the Rumble Ponies once the realignment has been completed. Still, there is obviously some level of anger over what was a unanimous plan to eliminate minor league teams:
You’d have to ask Major League Baseball about their concept of betraying the people of Binghamton, the Senator (Fred Akshar) as well as the Mayor (Rich David) and the community who has been so supportive of the team, why they would even think that would be acceptable? And on a lot of levels it’s disrespectful to anybody because if you read their criteria, the stadium’s compliant, short travel schedule, proximity to the Triple-A and major league clubs, there’s not a lot for them to base their position on really.
If the plan goes forward, there is still a possibility and other franchises can remain as part of the proposed developmental Dream League. It should be noted teams which remain as part of that league will have the bulk of the costs shifted from the Major Leagues to the existing teams. Presumably, that could make the ability of teams like Rumble Ponies to exist more difficult.
Overall, it should be noted these plans are in their beginning stages, and there is a lot of negotiations, and quite possibly, lawsuits which could potentially impact Major League Baseball’s plans. With the Professional Baseball Agreement expiring in 2020, this is a process which is going to play out throughout the 2020 season, a season which could be the last for many teams.
