The 2020 Major League Baseball season continues to be put on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
With the focus on the negotiations between the league and the MLBPA, a pair of teams addressed some dirty work as they released dozens of minor league players.
According to a league source familiar with the situation, the Baltimore Orioles released 37 players with the shutdown raging on while the Chicago White Sox released another 26.
To add to this: the Baltimore Orioles released 37 minor-league players last Friday while the Chicago White Sox released another 26, per source. This could be the harsh reality for several teams going forward. https://t.co/ulISWIAj12
— Andersen Pickard (@AndersenPickard) May 28, 2020
As Emily Waldon of The Athletic reports, one agent explained that teams are releasing players in an effort to accumulate savings while still being able to claim the players as paid employees. According to the same agent, the transactions have not been displayed on the league’s and teams’ websites because announcing the unnecessary moves on a public platform could result in “carnage.”
The following is a breakdown of the players released by Chicago and Baltimore, according to a source:
A list of the 37 players who were released by the #Orioles as they thin out their minor-league roster during the league shutdown, per source: pic.twitter.com/je9QVm9Oqh
— Andersen Pickard (@AndersenPickard) May 28, 2020
A list of the 26 players who were released by the White Sox as they thin out their minor-league roster during the league shutdown, per source: pic.twitter.com/mMSFYQ57sm
— Andersen Pickard (@AndersenPickard) May 28, 2020
With several teams cutting salaries and others beginning a wave of releases, the expectation is that many clubs will continue to make moves that negatively impact the players.
Whether these moves are intended or not is a different subject, but one thing is clear: the release of several minor league players is likely just another step in a grueling few months for these athletes.
