The Keys are one of 42 minor league teams possibly losing affiliations.
Frederick, MD – Following the report of 42 minor league teams losing their affiliations with the pros, Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor said he was distressed when he heard the Frederick Keys were one of them.
“I’m a big Orioles fan,” O’connor said. “This story when it came out really stabs me in the heart a little bit.”
The Keys have been a Class A affiliate of the Orioles since 1989.
O’Connor was a guest on the WFMD’s Morning News Express with Bob Miller and said a final decision has yet to be made on the proposal.
“This is a negotiation between big major league baseball and big minor league baseball, and this is major league baseball’s first offer,” O’Connor said. “It’s a negotiating tactic as much as anything else.”
The proposal from the MLB states the organization would cut ties with 42 minor league teams after the 2020 season in order to better organize business relationships teams and minor league affiliates.
“The Frederick Keys are one of the most successful franchises in the Carolina League,” O’Connor said. “I might argue, without knowing all the data, that they could make an argument as being one of the best run franchises in all of minor league baseball.”
By Timothy Young.