The Mets announced Tuesday that they are eliminating their minor league team in the Class-A Gulf Coast League.
According to the New York Times, “That move could save them between $750,000 and $800,000,” according to executives with other franchises.
SiriusXM host and former Mets GM Jim Duquette told the Times that the move saves money, “but may also reflect a new drafting philosophy,” since, “The Gulf Coast League is usually for draftees out of high school and for international signees.”
Update, 5:10 pm:
Matthew Cerrone (Updated on Dec. 20 at 4:10 pm): I never know what to make of these stories. I mean, on one hand, it doesn’t sound good and it certainly makes me wonder about the state of the team’s finances. At the same time, I have no no idea how many rookie-league teams are necessary. From what I can gather, even by eliminating Kingsport, the Mets still have as many minor-league affiliates as the Yankees. And, it seems most MLB teams only have one rookie-league team anyway, so why should the Mets be any different? My first instinct is always to assume the worst, and understandably so. Or, perhaps they’re just trimming off excess and redundancy? But if so, why now?
