Logistical Problems Moving Players in Minor League Baseball

The springtime is always warm and exciting. The cold winter months are behind us, and a sense of optimism regarding the summer surrounds us. Springtime also means that baseball is back. Whether you’re a fan of Major League Baseball (MLB) or Minor League Baseball (MiLB), players and fans traverse the country to see their teams play. However, operations of the affiliate teams for minors and majors have presented frequent and difficult problems. When players get recalled from an affiliate MiLB team to make the majors, the travel required to get to the major league team is sometimes met with obstacles.

Minor league teams are typically hosted in towns and cities across the US that do not have a professional MLB team. As most MLB teams reside in the largest markets (Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, etc.), minor league teams typically reside in smaller to mid-sized cities nationwide. As a result, when a player moves between the MLB and Triple-A baseball, travel is required between the two cities to transit the player and any equipment. However, at times, this journey has hiccups. With bad weather and often a lack of a direct flight, players are forced to improvise.

In 2024, the Philadelphia Phillies recalled Ricardo Pinto from their affiliate team, the Rochester Red Wings. The Phillies, amidst an injury crisis, needed Pinto to come as soon as possible. Unfortunately, there were no flights from the Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport (ROC) to the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) by the time the game started. 

Although MLB teams will charter flights for their team to go to away games, transfers between the majors and minors are conducted on regular commercial flights. As a result of the lack of flights, Pinto had to drive over five hours between the cities, and he arrived late to the game, which he ended up playing.

Although any teams try to place their Triple-A affiliate team near them geographically, that doesn’t always end up being the case. The Chicago White Sox are affiliated with the Charlotte Knights, which requires a multi-hour flight between the cities. Additionally, the Los Angeles Dodgers Triple-A team is in Oklahoma City. Although geographically far, the Charlotte Douglass International Airport (CLT) and the Will Rodgers World Airport (OKC) are major airport hubs that aid in any transfers between players and the teams. 

Some affiliate teams, such as the Iowa Cubs in Des Moines, Iowa, are not as lucky. While regular flights between the Des Moines International Airport (DSM) and O’Hare International Airport (ORD) exist almost every hour, if the Cubs are on a road game, transfers sometimes take more than one day to reach.

Regarding valuations, most Major League teams are around the $1 billion mark. However, the minor league teams are certainly lower, at around $30 million. The highest-valued teams are all in the larger markets in the space, with the Sacramento River Cats and Charlotte Knights being the most valuable. Each town also has a large airport, which can aid with any logistical operations.