2021 Minor League Restructuring

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Major League Baseball unveiled its restructured minor league system, with all 30 big league clubs extending invitations to four farm teams apiece.

How it works: Under the newly configured system, every franchise will have a Triple-A team, a Double-A team, a high-Class A team and a low-Class A team, along with a variety of developmental teams.

Why it matters: The number of affiliated minor league teams has been reduced from 160 to 120, altering the fate of 40 clubs.

The big picture: On top of the minor league shakeup, MLB is also forming its own amateur leagues for college players — a decision that has sent a chill through wood-bat college summer circuits from Cape Cod to Alaska.

While the affiliations aren't yet official, and won't be until the Minor League teams sign Professional Development Licenses (which will be sent at a later date), this is an important step that provides a solid picture of where MLB teams will have affiliates starting in 2021.

Here is a list of the Minor League invitations that have been announced so far:

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays
AAA: Buffalo Bisons
AA: New Hampshire Fisher Cats
A+: Vancouver Canadians
A: Dunedin Blue Jays

Orioles
AAA: Norfolk Tides
AA: Bowie Baysox
A+: Aberdeen Ironbirds
A: Delmarva Shorebirds

Rays
AAA: Durham Bulls
AA: Montgomery Biscuits
A+: Bowling Green Hot Rods
A: Charleston RiverDogs

Red Sox
AAA: Worcester Red Sox
AA: Portland Seadogs
A+: Greenville Drive
A: Salem Red Sox

Yankees
AAA: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
AA: Somerset Patriots
A+: Hudson Valley Renegades
A: Tampa Tarpons

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians
AAA: Columbus Clippers
AA: Akron RubberDucks
A+: Lake County Captains
A: Lynchburg Hillcats

Royals
AAA: Omaha Storm Chasers
AA: Northwest Arkansas Naturals
A+: Quad Cities River Bandits
A: Columbia Fireflies

Tigers
AAA: Toledo Mud Hens
AA: Erie SeaWolves
A+: West Michigan Whitecaps
A: Lakeland Flying Tigers

Twins
AAA: St. Paul Saints
AA: Wichita Wind Surge
A+: Cedar Rapids Kernels
A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

White Sox
AAA: Charlotte Knights
AA: Birmingham Barons
A+: Winston-Salem Dash
A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

A's
AAA: Las Vegas Aviators
AA: Midland RockHounds
A+: Lansing Lugnuts
A: Stockton Ports

Angels
AAA: Salt Lake Bees
AA: Rocket City Trash Pandas
A+: Tri-City Dust Devils
A: Inland Empire 66ers

Astros
AAA: Sugar Land Skeeters
AA: Corpus Christi Hooks
A+: Asheville Tourists
A: Fayetteville Woodpeckers

Mariners
AAA: Tacoma Rainiers
AA: Arkansas Travelers
A+: Everett AquaSox
A: Modesto Nuts

Rangers
AAA: Round Rock Express
AA: Frisco RoughRiders
A+: Hickory Crawdads
A: Down East Wood Ducks

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves
AAA: Gwinnett Stripers
AA: Mississippi Braves
A+: Rome Braves
A: Augusta GreenJackets

Marlins
AAA: Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
AA: Pensacola Blue Wahoos
A+: Beloit Snappers
A: Jupiter Hammerheads

Mets
AAA: Syracuse Mets
AA: Binghamton Rumble Ponies
A+: Brooklyn Cyclones
A: St. Lucie Mets

Nationals
AAA: Rochester Red Wings
AA: Harrisburg Senators
A+: Wilmington Blue Rocks
A: Fredericksburg Nationals

Phillies
AAA: Lehigh Valley IronPigs
AA: Reading Fightin Phils
A+: Jersey Shore BlueClaws
A: Clearwater Threshers

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers
AAA: Nashville Sounds
AA: Biloxi Shuckers
A+: Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
A: Carolina Mudcats

Cardinals
AAA: Memphis Redbirds
AA: Springfield Cardinals
A+: Peoria Chiefs
A: Palm Beach Cardinals

Cubs
AAA: Iowa Cubs
AA: Tennessee Smokies
A+: South Bend Cubs
A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Pirates
AAA: Indianapolis Indians
AA: Altoona Curve
A+: Greensboro Grasshoppers
A: Bradenton Marauders

Reds
AAA: Louisville Bats
AA: Chattanooga Lookouts
A+: Dayton Dragons
A: Daytona Tortugas

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs
AAA: Reno Aces
AA: Amarillo Sod Poodles
A+: Hillsboro Hops
A: Visalia Rawhide

Dodgers
AAA: Oklahoma City Dodgers
AA: Tulsa Drillers
A+: Great Lakes Loons
A: Rancho Cucamonga Quakes

Giants
AAA: Sacramento River Cats
AA: Richmond Flying Squirrels
A+: Eugene Emeralds
A: San Jose Giants

Padres
AAA: El Paso Chihuahuas
AA: San Antonio Missions
A+: Fort Wayne TinCaps
A: Lake Elsinore Storm

Rockies
AAA: Albuquerque
AA: Hartford
A+: Spokane
A: Fresno

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