In a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred argued that «it may not be possible» for the league to enforce, establish and maintain better working conditions for minor leaguers if the antitrust exemption is stripped.
Additionally, Manfred said that without the antitrust exemption, it was «more likely» that minor league affiliates would leave their current communities. «Without coordinated oversight and decision-making by MLB, it is likely that more Minor League affiliates will leave their existing communities for a superior player-development environment, and that fewer — rather than more — Minor League clubs affiliated with MLB clubs will exist in the future,» Manfred wrote.
Manfred's stance on the antitrust exemption has apparently evolved. At the All-Star break, Manfred told reporters that he «can't think of a place where the exemption is meaningful, other than franchise relocation.» On July 18, the Senate Judiciary Committee, led by Democratic Sen.
Dick Durbin of Illinois, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Republican Sen.