FredNats, Other Minor League Teams Could Get Federal Relief

VIRGINIA — U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia are among a group of senators sponsoring a bill that would provide financial help to the Fredericksburg Nationals and other minor league baseball teams across Virginia and the country.

The Minor League Baseball Relief Act would include up to $550 million in federal relief to minor league baseball teams, including nine in Virginia.

Along with the two Democratic senators from Virginia, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are sponsoring the legislation. Companion legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and David McKinley (R-WV).

Since there was no Minor League Baseball season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many minor league teams sustained heavy financial losses that have not been helped enough by existing small business economic relief programs, the Virginia senators said.

“Baseball isn’t just America’s pastime, it also represents an economic lifeline for many communities,” Warner said in a statement Thursday. “However, like many small businesses throughout the COVID-19 crisis, our Minor League Baseball teams in Virginia and across the country have struggled mightily to keep the lights on.”

Nine minor league teams in Virginia are eligible for relief under the bill (with their Major League Baseball affiliate in parentheses): Fredericksburg Nationals (Washington Nationals), Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles), Richmond Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants), Lynchburg Hillcats (Cleveland Indians), Salem Red Sox (Boston Red Sox), Danville Otterbots, Pulaski River Turtles, Bluefield Ridge Runners and Bristol State Liners. The four teams without an affiliate were among the clubs eliminated as part of Major League Baseball’s contraction of minor league teams. Those teams now compete in a collegiate summer baseball league.

The FredNats are the Low-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals. The team moved to Fredericksburg from Woodbridge after the 2019 season. But due to the pandemic, the team's season was canceled in 2020. With no minor league season to play in 2020, Fredericksburg's new baseball stadium became the alternate training site for the Washington Nationals, hosting players who were not on the active roster.

The FredNats played their first home game in May and are currently in last place in the north division of the Low-A East league with a record of 14-30.

The Minor League Baseball Relief Act is modeled after the Shuttered Venue Operator Grants program, which has provided assistance to venues like theaters, museums and concert halls that were forced to shut due to COVID-19 safety measures.

The act would repurpose up to $550 million in COVID-19 relief funding for an emergency grant program to be administered by the Small Business Administration. It would provide eligible clubs grants up to a maximum of $10 million that could be used to cover payroll costs, regular business expenses like rent and utilities, worker protection expenditures, and payments made to independent contractors.

The act also would provide an opportunity for the teams to receive a second grant at 50 percent of the first if a club’s revenue does not recover and does not significantly exceed its 2019 total. No minor league teams that are majority-owned by Major League Baseball or an owner of a major league team would be eligible for a grant.

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