Lexington Legends lose Major League Baseball affiliation. They plan to keep playing. (original) (raw)

The Lexington Legends and other minor league baseball teams around the country have faced uncertain futures since October 2019, when a Major League Baseball proposal to end its affiliation with dozens of farm clubs was first revealed.

On Wednesday, that scenario became reality for the Legends when it was announced the team would no longer be affiliated with the Kansas City Royals or any other MLB team as part of a restructured arrangement between MLB and its network of minor league clubs.

Legends President and CEO Andy Shea confirmed that the team would no longer be affiliated with the Royals but said the franchise would still exist in a form yet to be determined and that the club plans to play baseball in Lexington in 2021.

“We have been in constant communication with Major League Baseball and we are all very excited about what will be coming next for the 2021 season and beyond. Stay tuned,” Shea said in a news release.

Former MLB All-Star Brandon Phillips played for the Lexington Legends during the Battle of the Bourbon Trail in 2020. On Wednesday, it was announced the Legends would no longer be affiliated with Major League Baseball.

Why did this happen?

Major League Baseball is inviting 120 teams — four per major league team — to its restructured minor league baseball system. That left 40 franchises, including the Legends, to fend for themselves.

For franchises cut out, the change means they’re on their own to roster and pay players and coaches. They also lose the credibility and brand recognition that Major League affiliation provides.

Entertaining fans, selling tickets and serving the community have always been foundational pieces for minor league franchises at the local level. For major league clubs, player development is the primary focus of any affiliation. That conflict often led the Legends to prioritize moving players up the ladder toward the majors ahead of winning games on the field. Still, the Legends have operated successfully enough to win three South Atlantic League championships across 20 seasons.

The Legends, for years, served as a launching pad for major league careers and was one of the early stopping points for MLB All-Stars such as Jose Altuve, Mark Foltynewicz, J.D. Martinez, Hunter Pence and Ben Zobrist.

The restructuring also reduces by the hundreds the number of paying jobs available to players in the major league development system. Players will still be able to find jobs independently with clubs such as the Legends but will miss out on the salaries, coaching, structure and development path previously provided by MLB.

For Major League Baseball, the driving force in the restructuring, the change brings cost savings and more control over the minor league system. MLB pays the salaries of minor league players and coaches and provides the teams’ equipment. Minor league affiliates typically pay expenses for travel and their ballparks.

In one of the Legends’ more memorable moments, perennial All-Star Roger Clemens pitched for the team in Lexington while on a rehabilitation assignment from the Houston Astros in 2006. Frank Anderson Herald-Leader File Photo

What happens now?

Shea indicated that going forward, the Legends could adopt a structure similar to the one developed this summer after the minor league baseball season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Legends and Florence Y’alls put together a series wherein each club fielded two separate teams which played each other on a rotating basis. The four rosters consisted of former MLB, minor league and college players, many of whom had ties to the state of Kentucky.

“Being affiliated with a specific team never has and never will be what makes this organization and this ballpark special. What makes the Lexington Legends special is our inclusiveness, accessibility, affordability, memories with friends and family, employees, community and corporate partners, stakeholders, and ever growing fan base,” Shea said in the release. “We take great pride in what we have accomplished in the community and at the ballpark the last 20 years.

“We are also very proud as we reflect on what we accomplished when our 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19. In less than one month we put together one of the most exciting community-focused rosters ever and constructed such with over 65 percent of players having ties to Kentucky. The same roster also featured players with over 40 combined Major League seasons! Change can be challenging, and it can be scary, but it is certainly not always bad.”

Legends founder Alan Stein posed for a portrait before the franchise’s inaugural season in Lexington in 2001. Charles Bertram Herald-Leader File Photo

The history

Lexington native Alan Stein headed the effort to establish the Legends and assembled a group of investors in the late 1990s to get the job done.

The group accomplished what many had attempted but none had achieved through the years — finding a location within Lexington to build a ballpark and constructing a $13.5 million stadium with no public funding. The final piece was attracting a team: The Class A Kissimmee Cobras moved from the Florida State League after the 2000 season and became the Lexington Legends, an affiliate of the Houston Astros.

The team won 92 games in its inaugural season and captured a South Atlantic League championship. The Legends became the Single-A affiliate of the Royals in 2013 and went on to win back-to-back SAL titles in 2018 and 2019.

“The Legends and this ballpark are the culmination of my lifetime dreams,” Stein said upon retiring as the team’s president and chief executive officer in 2011. “I am very proud of what we have together accomplished. For me, it’s always been about the fans’ experience and our involvement in making our communities better.”

In a press release Wednesday, the Royals announced four of their their minor league clubs would have the chance to maintain their affiliations: The Quad City River Bandits in Davenport, Iowa, the Omaha Storm Chasers in Omaha, Neb., the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and the Columbia Fireflies in South Carolina.

The Legends are one of four minor league teams with whom the Royals will split.

We express our gratitude for long-time affiliates Wilmington, Lexington, Idaho Falls and Burlington.

Thank you for being part of the Royals family and helping develop many current and former members of the Major League squad. pic.twitter.com/YAdA6p9nPx

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) December 9, 2020

“We express our gratitude for longtime affiliates Wilmington, Lexington, Idaho Falls and Burlington. Thank you for being part of the Royals family and helping develop many current and former members of the Major League squad,” the Royals said in a statement posted to the team’s official Twitter account.

The Legends were one of 12 franchises that played full minor league seasons (as opposed to rookie or short-season Class A ball) to lose their affiliations, including two others in the South Atlanta League — the Hagerstown Suns and the West Virginia Power. The others, according to Baseball America, were the Jackson Generals, Trenton Thunder, Charlotte Stone Crabs, Florida Fire Frogs, Frederick Keys, Burlington Bees, Clinton Lumberkings and the Kane County Cougars.

This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 2:05 PM.

Lexington Herald-Leader

Josh Sullivan has worked at the Herald-Leader for more than 10 years in multiple capacities, including as a news assistant, page designer, copy editor and sports reporter. He is a graduate of the University of Kentucky and a Lexington native. Support my work with a digital subscription