It was an expected piece of news regarding baseball. However, the hearts of many hard-working individuals across the United States and Canada are broken today.
According to J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, the 2020 Minor League Baseball season will be officially cancelled, with an announcement expected to come later today.
This news was long expected given budget and travel concerns in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, and was only further emphasized with Major League Baseball's expanded rosters upon their return to play.
As mentioned, a good handful of players who would have spent this season in the minor leagues will get the chance to shine in the MLB by being part of a team's 26-man roster or their "taxi squad."
Nonetheless, many players who have fought their whole life to earn a respectable paycheck and make it to the big leagues will not get to do so this year. Many players have also already been cut from rosters prior to the impending cancellation.
With many minor-league markets dependent on the income of their affiliated team, this will only set them back further. Rumors have swirled for nearly a year regarding a potential shedding of MiLB teams from the current 142 to 120, potentially cutting out teams such as the nearby Erie SeaWolves.
While the stadiums of some teams, such as the Altoona Curve's Peoples Natural Gas Field, will be utilized as training sites for MLB-affiliated teams, the majority of Minor League stadiums will sit empty until at least next April.
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