KENTUCKY — The minor league baseball scene in Kentucky will look a bit different in 2021, as clubs from Louisville and Lexington received some much-anticipated news from MLB affiliates about next year's
What You Need To Know
- Lexington Legends are unaffiliated for the 2021 season
- Louisville Bats received an offer from the Cincinnati Reds
- Bats would enter 22nd season as Triple-A club for Cincinnati
- Legends President said "big things" are coming next summer
The Kansas City Royals extended affiliate invitations to four minor league baseball franchises on Wednesday. One team noticeably absent from the list, the Lexington Legends, now find themselves without an MLB affiliate for 2021.
It's not all bad news for baseball fans in the Bluegrass, as the Cincinnati Reds extended an invitation for 2021 to the Louisville Bats. If it accepts, the team would enter its 22nd season as Cincinnati's Triple-A club.
The Royals announced affiliate invitations in a tweet Wednesday afternoon, extending offers to Omaha, Northwest Arkansas, Quad Cities, and Columbia, SC.
As all 30 MLB teams have now released their official affiliate selections for the 2021 season, this leaves the Legends with an uncertain future, but one the club is optimistic about.
In a tweet sent shortly after the Royals announced its affiliates, Legends President and CEO Andy Shea confirmed the team would no longer be affiliated with the Royals. Shea also said the franchise will still exist and that the team is excited for "the 2021 season and beyond."
"What makes the Lexington Legends special is our inclusiveness, accessibility, affordability, memories with friends and family, employees, community and corporate partners, stakeholders, and ever-growing fanbase," Shea said.
The Legends may officially be unaffiliated for 2021, but they wrote on Twitter that "big things" are coming next summer.
Bryce Shreve is a digital producer with Spectrum News 1 KY. He is a recent graduate of Indiana University Southeast and joined the staff in November, 2020.