BURLINGTON — The City Council expressed support for the Vermont Lake Monsters as Major League Baseball continues to discuss a proposal which could threaten the team’s future.
The council unanimously passed a resolution urging Major League Baseball to abandon its proposal and encouraged the state’s congressional delegation to “take whatever steps necessary to discourage” the MLB from moving forward.
The Lake Monsters is one of 42 teams that would lose affiliation with a major league team if a proposed overhaul of Minor League Baseball goes into effect. That move would threaten the Lake Monsters’ existence.
The Oakland Athletics, the Lake Monsters’ major league affiliate, currently pays the team’s players and coaches. Under the proposal, the Lake Monsters would be in a “Dream League” and would have to pay those salaries. Minor league officials say this is not financially feasible.
City Council President Kurt Wright, R-Ward 4, said at Monday’s council meeting that losing the Lake Monsters would be “a great loss” for the city.
“It is … not only baseball, but the [owner Ray] Pecors have made it into a family-friendly nightly routine during the summertime when they are in town,” he said. “It’s an event every single game. There’s baseball but it’s also family fun and entertainment.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders has sharply criticized the MLB’s proposal and met with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to express his concerns. Sanders, I-Vt., has argued instead of paying minor league players a living wage, the MLB’s billionaire owners are prioritizing profit over fans and workers in the affected communities.
Sanders and other presidential candidates have prioritized the issue on the campaign trail, especially in Iowa. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., has also expressed concern about the proposal.
MLB has argued the changes are necessary to ensure Minor League Baseball players receive adequate pay, play in suitable facilities and are not subjected to unreasonable travel demands.
In a statement to VTDigger, MLB said that it had a plan for every team to continue their operation and that Minor League Baseball’s response has “been neither constructive nor solutions-oriented.”
“Major League Baseball is confident that we can modernize our minor league system, improve development and playing conditions for our players, and protect baseball in the communities where it is currently being played,” the league said in a statement. “However, doing so is best achieved with Minor League Baseball’s constructive participation and a recognition that they need to be part of the solution.”
Minor League Baseball has not made any effort to address MLB’s concerns, according to MLB’s statement.
Wright, a noted Yankees fan, said at Monday’s meeting he thought it was important that the council make clear its displeasure with the idea.
“Keeping the Lake Monsters here is paramount for our city,” he said. The Lake Monsters are part of the New York–Penn League. They and their predecessors have played at Centennial Field in Burlington since 1994.
Tensions between MLB and Minor League Baseball, which have been negotiating renewing the agreement which formalizes their relationship that expires in September, have risen in recent months.
In a letter to MLB, Minor League Baseball wrote that MLB’s position that the “Dream League” concept would save baseball in the affected communities was “simply wrong.”
In a January 29 letter to Minor League Baseball, MLB’s Dan Halem wrote that Minor League Baseball was doing “significant damage to your relationship with the 30 Clubs by attacking MLB publicly and in the political realm” and had made “transparently false” statements.
Kyle Bostwick, Lake Monsters vice president, said that the Lake Monsters are hoping that the proposal gets taken off the table soon.
“Obviously we would love to be able to put all this behind us, but it isn’t impacting our actions or our preparedness for the 2020 season,” he said.
Bostwick said the team was grateful for the council’s support.
“It’s not a surprise, we play in a great state and a great community,” he said. “The support for our organization has always been tremendous.”
Minor League Baseball and MLB are set to meet Feb. 20 to continue their conversations, said Jeff Lantz, a spokesman for Minor League Baseball. Lantz said that conversations between the two sides have been productive.
Lantz said the support from congressional leaders, mayors and local officials has been important in informing MLB about the effects their proposal would have on communities across the country.
“Everybody that is supporting Minor League Baseball is great for Minor League Baseball, and when people like Bernie Sanders are getting involved and keeping the issue on the forefront, that’s always a good thing,” Lantz said.
Mayor Miro Weinberger has joined a group of more than 100 mayors opposing the idea. In a statement, he said MLB should recognize the proposal is an error and reassert its commitment to baseball in small and medium-sized U.S. cities.
“Minor league baseball is an important and valued part of life in Burlington and dozens of other communities, and strengthens the country’s connection to its national pastime,” he said.
Councilor Brian Pine, P-Ward 3, said during Monday’s meeting that the Lake Monsters both generate significant economic activity and provide first jobs for many Burlington youth.
“Lots of kids in Burlington get their first jobs up there, so we should remember that it’s part of our economic development to have a team like this in our community,” he said.
Councilor Sharon Bushor, I-Ward 1, said that Centennial Field is near her backyard. And while the team brings parking concerns, light and noise to her neighborhood, she and her neighbors support the team.
“People describe it, as I’ve described it, as happy noise,” she said. “There’s noise, but it’s happy noise, and it’s wonderful.”
