U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said Major League Baseball is wrongfully taking advantage of an antitrust exemption that has caused a financial strain to minor league teams.
Blumenthal spoke on the issue in Hartford at the home field of the Hartford Yard Goats, a minor league team that serves as the Double-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Colorado Rockies.
“This antitrust exemption has far outlived its time,” Blumenthal said. “It’s no longer justified. It’s an aberration that should be discarded so that players and teams are treated fairly so they have a level playing field.”
Last year, Blumenthal introduced a $550 million federal relief fund for minor league baseball teams impacted by the pandemic.
A year earlier, he also issued a proposal that called on the major leagues to reconsider eliminating several minor league teams. The league decided to cut 42 of them.
Blumenthal also said he sent a bipartisan letter from judiciary committee members to Major League Baseball and commissioner Rob Manfred demanding answers and a possible resolution.
The league has not yet responded to that letter, he said.
