Speculation has been that the upcoming player development agreement between MLB and MILB would limit the 30 MLB organizations to four full season squads and one complex team in addition to a maximum of two DSL teams.
Today JJ Cooper of Baseball America clarified what the expected agreement will be. While full season squads will indeed be limited to four per team there seemingly will be no restrictions placed on teams having more than one stateside Complex based team.
The Phillies currently field two Gulf Coast League teams and it will seemingly be their prerogative to continue to do so if they so choose.
The roster limit for teams ( with Dominican Complex players exempt and excluded from the tally ) is expected to be 180 players in season and 190 players off season. This more than allows for clubs to have two complex based squads if they choose so.
In addition it’s expected that minor league full season rosters will be expanded from their current total of 25 active players. Teams have always used “paper move” transactions to get around those limits. The new agreement is expected to formalize larger rosters to allow more flexibility in managing squads.
Lastly the opportunity to “loan” players to partner leagues such as the Pioneer League which are independent of major league team affiliation is on the table. That used to be a normal course of business in minor league baseball where franchises would loan out their players to unaffiliated squads to afford them the opportunity to get playing time. It’s a potential win-win for both sides of the equation.
Good stuff !
I’ll let ya know more as Mr. Cooper finds out and reports ... Baseball America is a great subscription if ya don’t have one 👍.
Happy Day, Happy Baseball ⚾️
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