No River Cats, Ports Or Nuts Games This Year: MiLB Cancels 2020 Season
STOCKTON (CBS13/AP) — Baseball's minor leagues canceled their seasons on Tuesday after Major League Baseball decided not to provide any players to its affiliated teams amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the minor league governing body, made the long-expected announcement. The Professional Baseball Agreement between the majors and the minors expires after this season, and MLB has proposed reducing the minimum affiliates from 160 to 120.
The Central Valley plays host to several MiLB teams, including the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.
Other teams include the Stockton Ports (Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Oakland Athletics) and the Modesto Nuts (Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Seattle Mariners).
MLB already had told clubs to retain expanded 60-player pools, of which 30 players can be active during the first two weeks of the season starting in late July.
"These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first time in our history that we've had a summer without minor league baseball played," National Association president Pat O'Conner. "While this is a sad day for many, this announcement removes the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season and allows our teams to begin planning for an exciting 2021 season of affordable family entertainment."
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press.