No, the Sand Gnats were a totally unrelated team that also happened to be located in Savannah. They relocated to Columbia, SC in 2016 and changed their major league affiliation to the Kansas City Royals in 2021.

I'm not sure I understand what kind of system you're proposing. Amateur players get drafted by MLB teams, and then are under that team's control for a certain number of years. They play in the minors first because in baseball, more than any other sport, it takes time to develop skills. Newly drafted players aren't ready to play in the majors immediately.

The draft, and the years of team control, are important for parity. MLB has more parity than any of the other North American sports leagues, and MUCH more parity than the European soccer leagues. I think that's a good thing.

You seem to be proposing a system where there's no draft and every amateur player just becomes a free agent. So, for example, a guy who would be a top draft pick can instead sign a 1-year contract with a Korean team, and then try to sign on with a major league team the next year? Correct me if I'm misunderstanding.

Lots of American players do go to Korea and Japan, but only after it's clear they aren't going to have a major league career in the US.

I don't see how "loss of affiliation" would lead to higher salaries. There are already lots of unaffiliated minor leagues, and they are basically for the guys who aren't good enough to play in the affiliated minors. No player who has the talent to make the majors is going to voluntarily play for an independent league team.

This was a long-overdue step, and I'm glad it finally happened. However, here are a few clarifying details:

1. This happened back in September

2. The unionization only covers players in the affiliated minor leagues (that is, players for minor league teams that are farm teams for a major league team)

3. The team in the picture, the Savannah Bananas, are not and have never been part of the affiliated minors. They were originally part of a collegiate summer league (a type of amateur league in which college players who seem to have at least an outside shot of being drafted by major league organization can get experience using wood bats outside of the college season), but as of this year they are strictly a barnstorming exhibition team, the Harlem Globetrotters of baseball. Their players are not part of the union.

I think a lot of people get "leery" (which is a synonym of "wary") mixed up with "weary."

Wouldn't the real danger be a panicked person capsizing the boat as they attempt climb over the side? I assume that's what is meant by "swarming the boat."