The MLB (Major League Baseball) has a new proposal as of November 2019: to cut down the number of minor league teams from 160 to 118. However, the MLB’s idea of doing away with 20 percent of baseball’s minor league teams will not be beneficial for either league, in the long run. 

Minor League Baseball is a ranking of the professional baseball leagues, but at a lower level when compared to Major League Baseball. 

Minor league baseball provides young men with opportunities, such as the development as a player, as well as potential MLB preparation. According to an online article, there have only been two men in the past 15 years to have skipped the minor league, preceding straight into the MLB. Therefore, minor league baseball provides players with a strong foundation of skills and knowledge, to then be utilized in their MLB career. 

Moreover, if the MLB were to in fact, eliminate over 20 percent of the current minor league teams, they would be harming themselves in the long run. Players would not be as elite and polished, because they would have had less of a chance of getting signed by a minor league team. Ultimately, this lowers the probability of an MLB team signing an individual with skill and potential. 

The MLB believes that if they eliminate a fraction of the minor league teams, the remaining minor league  teams will have the opportunity to earn a greater salary, closer to that of a living wage. However, by doing so, thousands of jobs would be at risk, including those of players, coaches, owners, ticket sellers, and concession stand workers, proving that if going through with this potential proposal, the MLB would not only be harming themselves, but minor league baseball as well. 

Therefore, by eliminating 42 minor league teams, the MLB would ultimately be setting themselves, as well as minor league baseball, up for failure, not prosperity.