Majors, Minors Agree on 10-Year PBA Contract

Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball (National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues) have reached an agreement on a new 10-year Professional Baseball Agreement (PBA), effective Oct. 1, 2004 and extending through the 2014 season. The PBA defines the working relationship between the two organizations.

Member leagues in the NAPBL unanimously approved the agreement in December, while Major League Baseball owners unanimously approved it today at the Owners' Meetings in Scottsdale, AZ.

"Major League Baseball is pleased to continue its commitment to the Minor Leagues and its player development system," said Baseball Commissioner Allan (Bud) Selig. "The Minor Leagues established a new attendance mark last season and this agreement will guarantee long-term stability as they build on those successes and allow us to further our partnership with them into the next decade."

"All of us at Minor League Baseball are delighted that we have reached agreement on another long-term contract with our partners at Major League Baseball," said Mike Moore, President of Minor League Baseball. "Both sides of the committee worked hard to make this happen and we can now move forward, using this agreement to enhance our relationship. We are excited about the possibilities in this agreement and the opportunity to serve the player needs of Major League Baseball."

The agreement guarantees that Major League teams will field at least 160 Minor League teams (including the Williamsport franchise) through the life of the agreement by means of Player Development Contracts (PDC) and/or ownership of teams.

It also assigns the selection of the official statistician for the Minor Leagues to the Baseball Commissioner. Beginning in the 2005 season, MLB Advanced Media (BAM) will be the official statistician.

Additional highlights of the agreement include access to all Minor League content for a baseball-only television channel, owned and operated by Major League Baseball, and joint marketing initiatives between MLB and the Minor Leagues.

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