Daytona Beach, FL - The fight isn't over, it's just beginning.
Almost a week after a New York Times report showed the MLB planned to slash 42 teams from the minor leagues, panic began to set in as residents began to think that they could lose their local clubs.
One of the teams included in that 42 was the Daytona Tortugas.
And just two days ago (November 19th), News Daytona Beach spoke with Ryan Keur, the president of the Tortugas, to find out exactly what is going on and what the fate of Daytona's team was. That same day, the owners and staff of the Tortugas released a statement, that was worded more as a defiant letter stating that they weren't going down without a fight.
Earlier this morning (November 21st), Keur took to the airwaves along with the team's general manager, Jim Jaworksi, on the Morning Hog, hosted on WNDB's sister station, 95.7 The Hog.
Keur told Riggs, Guy and Intern Steve that it's already been pretty crazy at the Jack.
"It's been a chaotic three or four days for us in the office in terms of defending the Jack and defending the Tortuga Nation," said Keur.
According to Keur, the fight is just beginning for the team. He stated that the team's league, the MiLB, is in talks today with the MLB drafting a second proposal. Keur believes that this won't be the proposal that gets accepted, as there's still a long road ahead since the leagues have a little over a full year until they need to come to an agreement.
Riggs: You have to assume that there's going to be something ahead of 2020. But then what is your cutoff time? Do you have a time where you're like "alright Major League Baseball has to make up their mind?"
Keur: I don't know if there will be a true cutoff time. I think December 15th of 2020 is when Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball need to have an agreement in place. Up until that point there could be constant negotiations.
Ryan Keur speaking to Riggs on the Morning Hog
Keur also mentioned that another proposal will take place on December 6th in San Diego, when the leagues plan to have a winter meetup. But, with almost a full year until an agreement has to be made, the Tortugas believe that they have more than enough time to mount their offense against the proposal.
"We're going to have the opportunity to fight for Daytona Beach. We're going to have the opportunity for Jackie Robinson Ballpark," said Keur.
However, they're still going to need all of the support they can get. Keur mentioned that the best way for people to get involved is to get their legislators involved, such as local senators.
But this has already gone up the chain on a national level. A report from the Los Angeles Times says that Vermont senator and Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has already voiced his own opinions against the MLB proposal.
Other critics include Senator Chuck Schumer (NY), Governor Jim Justice (WV), Senator Joe Manchin (WV), and Governor Tom Wolf (PA). ESPN also reports that over 100 members of Congress expressed opposition against the MLB's plan.
