Ronny Mauricio/Photo by Delany, MMN
According to multiple reports, Major League Baseball will announce today the official cancellation of the 2020 minor league baseball season.
As a result, the season is officially over for the nine Mets affiliates.
While this news was widely expected with just over two months remaining in what would have been the minor league season, this will be a disappoint to many of the Mets’ young players who have stayed ready and conditioned and remained hopeful to play in 2020.
For teams in the Florida State League, including the Mets’ Advanced-A affiliate, the St. Lucie Mets, they have not played a game since August 29, 2019 after the 2019 season was cut short and playoffs were cancelled due to the impending impacts of Hurricane Dorian.
They now see their 2020 season cancelled completely due to the coronavirus.
The question now is if and possibly how minor leaguers will get to see playing time in 2020. It’s possible that an expanded Arizona Fall League or a Florida fall league is instituted but the details have yet to be hammered out.
According to Justin Toscano of the Record, Brodie Van Wagenen and Omar Minaya mentioned today how their players are good players and will figure out a way to stay conditioned and developed in this weird year. They mentioned the use of technology and education to help keep the players developed.
When the Mets’ 2020 regular season begins on July 23rd or 24th, the remaining 30 players assigned to the alternate training site will report to MCU Park in Brooklyn, which Van Wagenen mentioned could “eventually feature some younger prospects.”
The Mets’ current 2020 player pool includes 50 players, leaving room for an additional 15 players as the limit is 60.
With this leeway, more players, including younger minor leaguers like Ronny Mauricio and Francisco Alvarez, could be added to the player pool.
Even with the abrupt end to the minor league season, the Mets have committed to paying their players through August 31st, which is about a week before what would have been the end of the 2020 minor league season.
Another looming concern for various minor league teams is the expected contraction of Minor League Baseball after this season, resulting in the cut of over 40 teams.
For the Mets, the announcement of the cancellation of the 2020 season could be the official end of the Double-A Binghamton Rumble Ponies and Rookie-Level Kingsport Mets, which Baseball America reported on the unofficial list of teams that could be facing elimination.
The Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA) between MLB and MiLB is up at the end of this season and with the most recent proposal between the organizations likely to become a reality, the contraction of teams would reduce Minor League Baseball from 160 to 120 teams beginning in the 2021 season.
This proposal would also see teams changing leagues. Both sides are expected to formulate and come to an official agreement ahead of the 2021 season.
Major league players report to Summer Camp tomorrow, with the regular season beginning July 23rd or 24th.
However, for the Mets’ minor leaguers, their season has come to an end before beginning.
