Major League Baseball teams have their own problems that now include cutting minor league players

While Major League baseball teams have no choice, their releasing of hundreds of young ballplayers is a major setback for the minor leaguers. Add that to the minor league baseball season remaining in doubt, it becomes a double dip in this time of the coronavirus pandemic.

The fact that this involves our “national pastime” matters little to the MLB owners who have already taken financial hits. On Saturday, over 200 players on active rosters were cut, adding to 400 over the past month.

While Major League baseball has been on hold since the official start in April was postponed, the minors were first scheduled to begin in March, and after that was shut down, most players were sent home from spring training. While MLB and the players’ association are negotiating terms to play big league ball this summer, it’s unlikely there will be minor league games.

Minor League players not on 40-man rosters were promised $400 per week through Sunday, May 31, by a policy drafted by MLB. At least 16 teams have promised to expand those allowances through at least June, with the Oakland Athletics the only club known to be ending its stipends at the end of May, the day before today.

The Chicago White Sox were among the clubs to make cuts, but they will continue to pay $400 a week to the 25 players who were released last week.

Kansas City said that the Royals will not release any minor leaguers amid the pandemic and will continue providing the $400-per-week allowances.

Said KC general manager Dayton Moore: “The minor league player, the players that you’ll never know about, the players that never got out of rookie ball or High-A, these players have as much impact on the growth of our game as 10-year, 15-year veteran players.”

He’s right. These youngsters who grew up with the game influence the growth of our game as those who play for a long time because those are the individuals that go back into their communities and teach the game. Fact is, they work in academics, they’re junior college coaches, 4-year college coaches, scouts, they coach in professional baseball.

Yes, they are growing the game constantly because they’re so passionate about it.

Lower-level players were hit hardest by cuts, with at least 172 players released from the rookie-level Gulf Coast, Arizona and Dominican Summer Leagues.

Actually, it’s not unusual for big league teams to release minor leaguers at this time of year. Cuts are routine ahead of the June draft as franchises make space for newly acquired players, and teams also kept more players than usual after spring training this season.

One more thing, baseball will hold its amateur draft June 10, but MLB has shortened the draft from 40 rounds to five.

Advice to the minor league players who were cut, whose dreams have now been dealt a big blow, stay with the game, keep in shape, have hope that the virus threat fades to your advantage, and remember that you can always be resigned, but most important, don’t give up and keep in mind that the game can’t be played without the players, which includes the major and minor leaguers.