What's Next For The 43 Teams Left Out Of Affiliated Baseball?

More than 40 minor league teams found out officially on Wednesday they are no longer part of Major League Baseball’s plans for affiliated baseball.

For 23 of those teams, Wednesday’s invitations confirmed what was already known. The Appalachian and Pioneer Leagues previously announced they would not be part of affiliated baseball going forward, but will continue to operate in new formats. Five teams (four from the New York-Penn League and one from the Eastern League) announced that they would join the MLB Draft League. Frederick, formerly in the Carolina League, will also join the MLB Draft League.

That’s 24 of what eventually will be 43 teams that are now considered former affiliates moving forward. For many of the remaining 19 teams, the days are spent with a lot of Zoom calls and discussions to figure out the next step.

For some of those teams, the most likely option will be joining a summer amateur wood bat league. Others are trying to figure out the best professional partner league option. Partner leagues are the the leagues that were known as independent leagues until just recently.