Bees-MLB Partnership Changes
December 9, 2020 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Burlington Bees News Release
BURLINGTON, IOWA - Major League Baseball™ (MLB™) has finalized plans for its long awaited realignment of the Minor League Baseball system. Major League Baseball and MLB teams announced today the 120 teams that were invited to receive a Player Development License (PDL) for the 2021 season and the Burlington Bees were not offered an invitation.
"The entire Bees organization is heartbroken by this announcement, but we are honored to have been in the Midwest League and a part of Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball for so many years," stated Kim Parker, General Manager of the Burlington Bees.
"We are as deeply saddened as our fans; however, that does not mean baseball is over in Burlington. We are continuing to work to form a partnership with Major League Baseball to provide Southeast Iowa and Western Illinois with the summer tradition that area individuals and families have grown accustomed to for decades," Parker continued.
The Burlington Bees Board of Directors and staff are committed to keeping baseball in Burlington for years to come and have been working on alternatives for the 2021 season and beyond.
"We hope to be able to announce our plans in the near future. We need just a little more time to finalize plans," Parker said.
The Burlington Bees are proud of the strong relationships built with both Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball through years of working together to showcase professional baseball in Burlington, Iowa. "Our passion for baseball runs deep and we are thankful for the relationships with players, coaches, sponsors, and colleagues over the years, along with shared memories with so many individuals involved in both organizations," Parker concluded.
Midwest League Stories from December 9, 2020
- Hot Rods Invited to A-Advanced in Minor League Restructure - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Beloit Snappers Invited to Become Marlins Affiliate - Beloit Sky Carp
- Midwest League to Move up to High A, Drop to 12 Teams - MWL1
- Bees-MLB Partnership Changes - Burlington Bees
- Major League Baseball Realignment Officially Leaves out LumberKings - Clinton LumberKings
- Captains Invited to Become Indians' New Class-A Advanced Affiliate - Lake County Captains
- South Bend Cubs Receive Invitation to Join New Minor League Baseball System - South Bend Cubs
- Kernels Invited to be a Minnesota Twins Affiliate - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Reds Invite Dragons to Continue Partnership - Dayton Dragons
- Dodgers Minor League Affiliate Plans to Include Loons - Great Lakes Loons
- Fort Wayne Invited to High-A by the San Diego Padres - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Lugnuts Invited to Join A's System, Move to High-A - Lansing Lugnuts
- River Bandits Invited to Become a Kansas City Royals Affiliate - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Tigers Announce Whitecaps as Advanced A Affiliate - West Michigan Whitecaps
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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