KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In a rare move Friday, the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball trimmed the Kansas City T-Bones from its 2020 season.
The league announced plans for a 60-game season based out of three “hub cities” and including three other teams in close proximity to the host teams.
The Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, Milwaukee Milkmen and Sioux Falls Canaries are allowed to resume home operations, while the Winnipeg Goldeyes, Chicago Dogs and St. Paul Saints will relocate to hub cities.
“The teams participating in the abbreviated season were chosen based on their ability to host games with fans,” the T-Bones said in a statement reacting to the league’s announcement. “The visiting teams were assembled, in combination, based on geography, local COVID 19 restrictions, and potential ability to return home based on the state’s or province’s phasing plan to reopen. Unfortunately, the Kansas City T-Bones will not be one of the six participating teams.”
Each team will play 42 of 60 games beginning July 3 in its hub city — Fargo for Winnipeg, Milwaukee for Chicago and Sioux Falls for St. Paul — to limit team travel.
The T-Bones are under new ownership and reorganized during the offseason after financial troubles forced the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, to close the municipally owned stadium over unpaid utility bills.
New T-Bones owner Mark Brandmeyer said he was utterly and understandably disappointed that the 2020 season must be canceled, but the team looks forward to a triumphant return next summer.
“We were excited for the opportunity to play baseball in 2020,” Brandmeyer said in a statement. "Unfortunately, it will now take another year for our vision to be realized. We purchased the team to take the field — and we are still going to do that, just not on our original timeline. In the interim we will be preparing to host our team and fans in 2021 and will continue making improvements to stadium infrastructure to enhance our game day experience.”
The T-Bones also announced that all tickets purchased for the 2020 season will be refunded. There also will be an option to apply that money toward tickets for the 2021 season.
