WASHINGTON DC (December 11, 2019) — Senator Charles "Chuck" Grassley released the following statement regarding his discussion and subsequent letter to Dan Halem, the Deputy Commissioner of Baseball Administration and Chief Legal Officer for Major League Baseball regarding their Iowa teams.
“I recently spoke with Dan Halem, the Deputy Commissioner of Baseball Administration and Chief Legal Officer for Major League Baseball, about how important minor league baseball teams are to the local communities throughout Iowa. I brought up the concerns we had heard about a potential contraction of teams in Iowa, especially The Burlington Bees, The Clinton Lumber Kings, and The Quad Cities River Bandits. Deputy Commissioner Halem told me that it is early in the process but there is a proposal to have fewer affiliates with better facilities and pay for the players. He told me unequivocally that the Quad Cities River Bandits, Cedar Rapids Kernels, and the Iowa Cubs are not part of the teams being considered in this proposal. I stressed that it was important for Major League Baseball to set and communicate clear facility standards for the communities to meet and give them adequate time to comply with those standards before eliminating any teams. Major League Baseball agreed to continue to communicate with the teams and my office regarding this issue.
“I forwarded letters from the Bees, Lumber Kings, and River Bandits to Deputy Commissioner Halem reiterating my concerns with the potential loss of teams in Iowa. I’ll continue to carefully monitor and communicate with MLB as these negotiations continue,” Sen Grassley said.
