Hopes for Minor League Baseball in 2020 officially ended Tuesday as Major League Baseball announced that it will not provide its affiliated teams with players amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The move affects more than 150 such clubs, including Pittsburgh Pirates affiliates in Indianapolis (Class AAA) and Altoona (Class AA).
“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,” Minor League Baseball President and CEO Pat O’Conner said in a statement.
“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.”
Minor League Baseball announced the cancellation of the 2020 season.
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) June 30, 2020
Details: https://t.co/4AQt0XtHiE pic.twitter.com/kEoIyF04We
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. The Pirates will have their taxi squad of available players work out in Altoona to stay ready when call-ups are required.
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) June 30, 2020
An agreement between the MLB and MiLB expires after this season, and MLB has proposed reducing the number of minor league affiliates from 160 to 120.
A spring training set of workouts is set to begin this week with the truncated 2020 MLB season tentatively slated to begin July 23. A 60-game regular season will conclude with the playoffs and World Series in October.
The Pirates will play games against their National League Central rivals for a total of 40 games, as well as 20 games against clubs in the American League Central.
