NORFOLK, Va. - Wednesday, 40 cities officially learned they have been dropped as professional affiliates as Major League Baseball went through with its plan to cut to 120 farm teams.
MLB ended the Professional Baseball Agreement that governed the relationship between the majors and minors. The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, which had governed the minors since 1901, is closing down, and the minors will be run from MLB’s office in New York under the supervision of Peter Woodfork, MLB’s new senior vice president of minor league operations and development.
The Norfolk Tides, Triple-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles since 2007, received an invitation to continue that partnership.
“We are pleased to have received the invitation, and we hope that the terms are acceptable," Tides general manager Joe Gregory said in a statement provided to News 3. "Once we receive the full details we’ll be evaluating the proposal carefully to assure that it works for the team, the fans and the community before formally accepting.”
Courtesy of the AP, here is the list of Major League Baseball’s invited 2021 affiliates, with dropped affiliates below (x-pending parent club confirmation):
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Baltimore — Norfolk (Triple-A), Bowie (Double-A), Aberdeen (High-A), Delmarva (Low-A)
Boston — Worcester (Triple-A), Portland (Double-A), Greenville (High-A), Salem (Low-A)
Chicago — Charlotte Knights (Triple-A), Birmingham (Double-A), Winston-Salem (High-A), Kannapolis (Low-A)
Cleveland — Columbus (Triple-A), Akron (Double-A), Lake County (High-A), Lynchburg (Low-A)
Detroit — Toledo (Triple-A), Erie (Double-A), West Michigan (High-A), Lakeland (Low-A)
Houston — Sugar Land (Triple-A), Corpus Christi (Double-A), Fayetteville (High-A), Asheville (Low-A)
Kansas City — Omaha (Triple-A), Northwest Arkansas (Double-A), Quad Cities (High-A), Columbia, S.C. (Low-A)
Los Angeles — Salt Lake (Triple-A), Rocket City (Double-A), Tri-City (High-A), Inland Empire (Low-A)
Minnesota — St. Paul (Triple-A), Wichita (Double-A), Cedar Rapids (High-A), Fort Myers (Low-A)
New York — Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (Triple-A), Somerset, N.J. (Double-A), Hudson Valley (High-A), Tampa (Low-A)
Oakland — Las Vegas (Triple-A), Midland (Double-A), Lansing (High-A), Stockton (Low-A)
Seattle — Tacoma (Triple-A), Arkansas (Double-A), Everett (High-A), Modesto (Low-A)
Tampa Bay — Durham, N.C. (Triple-A), Montgomery, Ala. (Double-A), Bowling Green (High-A), Charleston, S.C. (Low-A)
Texas — Round Rock (Triple-A), Frisco (Double-A), Hickory (High-A), Down East (Low-A)
Toronto — Buffalo (Triple-A), New Hampshire (Double-A), Vancouver (High-A), Dunedin (Low-A)
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Arizona — Reno (Triple-A), Amarillo (Double-A), Hillsboro (High-A), Visalia (Low-A)
Atlanta — Gwinnett (Triple-A), Mississippi (Double-A), Rome (High-A), Augusta (Low-A)
Chicago — Iowa (Triple-A), Tennessee (Double-A), South Bend (High-A), Myrtle Beach (Low-A)
Cincinnati — Louisville (Triple-A), Chattanooga (Double-A), Dayton (High-A), Daytona (Low-A)
Colorado — Albuquerque (Triple-A), Hartford (Double-A), Spokane (High-A), x-Fresno (Low-A)
Los Angeles — Oklahoma City (Triple-A), Tulsa (Double-A), Great Lakes (High-A), Rancho Cucamonga (Low-A)
Miami — Jacksonville (Triple-A), Pensacola (Double-A), Beloit (High-A), Jupiter (Low-A)
Milwaukee — Nashville (Triple-A), Biloxi (Double-A), Wisconsin (High-A), Carolina (Low-A)
New York — Syracuse (Triple-A), Binghamton (Double-A), Brooklyn (High-A), St. Lucie (Low-A)
Philadelphia — Lehigh Valley (Triple-A), Reading (Double-A), Jersey Shore (High-A), Clearwater (Low-A)
Pittsburgh — Indianapolis (Triple-A), Altoona (Double-A), Greensboro (High-A), Bradenton (Low-A)
St. Louis — Memphis (Triple-A), Springfield (Double-A), Peoria (High-A), Palm Beach (Low-A)
San Diego — El Paso (Triple-A), San Antonio (Double-A), Fort Wayne (High-A), Lake Elsinore Storm (Low-A)
San Francisco — Sacramento (Triple-A), Richmond (Double-A), Eugene (High-A), San Jose (Low-A)
Washington — Rochester (Triple-A), Harrisburg (Double-A), Wilmington (High-A), Fredericksburg (Low-A)
Appalachian college summer league (prior affiliate in parentheses)
Bluefield (W. Va), Blue Jays
Bristol (Va.), Pirates
Burlington (N.C.), Royals
Danville (Va.), Braves
Elizabethton (Tenn.), Twins
Greeneville (Tenn.), Reds
Johnson City (Tenn.), Cardinals
Kingsport (Tenn.), Mets
Princeton (W. Va.), Rays
Pulaski (Va.), Yankees
MLB Draft League (prior affiliate in parentheses)
Frederick, Md. (Orioles, High-A)
Mahoning Valley, Ohio (Indians, short season)
State College, Pa. (Cardinals, short season)
Trenton, N.J. (Yankees, Double-A)
West Virginia (Pirates, short season)
Williamsport (Phillies, short season)
Pioneer League-Independent MLB partner league (prior affiliate in parentheses)
Billings, Mont. (Reds)
Grand Junction, Colo. (Rockies)
Great Falls, Mont. (White Sox)
Idaho Falls (Royals)
Missoula, Mont. (Diamondbacks)
Ogden, Utah (Dodgers)
Orem, Utah (Angels)
Rocky Mountain, Colo. (Brewers)
No league
Auburn, N.Y. (Nationals)
Batavia, N.Y. (Marlins)
Boise, Idaho (Rockies)
Burlington, Iowa (Angels)
Burlington, Vt. (Athletics)
Charleston, W.Va. (Mariners)
Clinton, Iowa (Marlins)
Lancaster, Calif. (Calif,) Rockies
Hagerstown, Md. (Nationals)
Jackson, Tenn. (Diamondbacks)
Kane County, Ill. (Diamondbacks)
Lexington, Ky. (Royals)
Lowell, Mass. (Red Sox)
North Port, Fla., (Braves)
Norwich, Conn. (Tigers)
Port Charlotte, Fla. (Rays)
Salem-Keizer, Ore. (Giants)
Staten Island, N.Y. (Yankees)
Tri-City, N.Y. (Astros)
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