Minor League Clubs Pushing Back on MLB’s Blanket Franchise Agreement

Major League Baseball and some of its 120 chosen minor league affiliates may be heading toward confrontation over a pending new franchise agreement called a Player Development License (PDL) that each club must sign by Friday.

There’s a movement among a majority of the affiliates to refrain from signing, thus forcing negotiations with MLB, which is trying to dictate what some are calling “onerous terms in the one-sided agreement.” Sportico has not seen the agreement but has had key clauses relayed by phone.

“There’s a lot of discussion about this within the leagues,” said an MiLB source with knowledge of the situation who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal from MLB. “It comes down as heavy-handed: ‘Here are the terms.’ Some clubs don’t want to sign this without even a discussion. That’s what some people are upset about.”

The chief point of contention is the PDL’s opening clause, a six-page release of liability called the “Confidentiality, Non-Disclosure, and Release Agreement” that must be signed before the rest of the 60 pages is even contemplated. But when that portion of the agreement is signed, it essentially locks a franchise owner into the entire vehicle.