The independent leagues have been busy with transactions and news this winter. Here’s some links to get you caught up:
- The Kansas City T-Bones have undergone a re-brand to become the Kansas City Monarchs. Very cool move by team ownership and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and even cooler threads.
- The American Association has established another partnership, this time with the Australian Baseball League. The first action from the paired leagues is the AA streaming ABL games on its platform (if you’re a night owl, for the most part).
- The Frontier League welcomed its sixteenth team to the league while the American Association, who has hinted at expansion this winter, has lost two teams and sits at a total of ten teams with three months before the hypothetical start of Spring Training.
- Two teams who were hypotheticals for joining the AA will instead be joining a wood bat league this summer.
- Another team that could have been an addition to the AA no longer has a home thanks to their city terminating their lease.
- One writer believes that a former AA pitcher’s stay in Triple-A will be quite short, and for good reason. (Watch out, Twins!)
- Unlike MLB, the AA winter has been pretty busy with transactions, including a former MLB hurler joining the Winnipeg Goldeyes.
- After getting left behind by MLB and MiLB, an Oregon team has decided to create its own independent league with four teams, including a couple of revivals, in a 16-week season.
- One team in the Pioneer League has already opted out of the 2021 season because of the ongoing pandemic.