The Senate Judiciary Committee got right to the point in a letter to Commissioner Rob Manfred on Monday: If America's other major sports have to follow antitrust law, why should baseball remain exempt from that law?
On Thursday, Manfred told the Los Angeles Times that the only "really meaningful" application of the exemption is in letting the league control franchise relocation. In Monday's letter, the committee told Manfred it wished to focus on "the exemption's impact on competition in the labor market for minor league ballplayers, as well as the operations of minor league teams."
The letter specifically asked Manfred to commit to "no further contraction of minor league clubs." As Major League Baseball took over operation of the minor leagues last season, it eliminated 43 clubs that had been affiliated with major league teams.
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