MLB has "issued a pointed and heated letter in response" to a MiLB message that "cast doubt over whether the two sides could ever reach an agreement on the future of their relationship," according to David Waldstein of the N.Y. TIMES. In yesterday's letter, MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem wrote that MiLB President Pat O'Conner and the league as a whole were "doing significant damage" to their relationship with the 30 MLB clubs by "attacking MLB publicly and in the political realm." Halem added MLB clubs were "united in our negotiating position and misinformation tactics you have employed have only made the 30 clubs more resolute." Waldstein notes with another bargaining session scheduled for Feb. 20, each side is "accusing the other of spreading falsehoods and misinformation, as the tenor of the discourse becomes increasingly acrimonious." Yesterday's letter "underscored MLB officials' belief that MiLB, instead of negotiating in good faith, had instead sought to build outside pressure to prevent any changes to the existing agreement." If a new deal is "not reached by September, MLB could choose to continue operating under the current" Professional Baseball Agreement, or it "could leave it to individual MLB teams to act as they see fit." Meanwhile, a source said that MLB has "all but abandoned the Dream League concept." Waldstein notes the league, instead, is "floating a different league," one "consisting of players preparing for the MLB Draft, which is likely to be cut from 40 rounds to 20" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/30).
BACK AND FORTH: In Boston, Michael Silverman notes MiLB yesterday issued a "double-fisted response" to Halem's letter. Part one was a statement that "called MLB's allegations false and accused MLB of fabricating MiLB's approach to negotiations." Part two was MiLB making public a three-page letter it sent to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred last week, which "detailed the organization's stances on responsibilities for upgrading facilities, reasons why short-season leagues do not have to be shut down, flaws with the 'Dream League' concept, as well as flaws MiLB sees with MLB's argument that it 'heavily subsidizes'" MiLB (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/30). CBSSPORTS.com's Mike Axisa wrote MLB's antitrust exemption has been "chipped away at over the years and there have been times, including last year" after the contraction plan was proposed, that Congress "threatened to revisit the antitrust exemption if MLB got out of line." Axisa: "It's hard to imagine the antitrust exemption going away at this point, but every once in a while it appears in the news, and this is one of those times." It also is "worth noting" the MiLB contraction plan was the idea of now-fired Astros President of Baseball Operations & GM Jeff Luhnow. With Luhnow "out of the game, MLB could scale back on its contraction plan and instead seek to cut minor league costs through other means" (CBSSPORTS.com, 1/29).
