MLB, Astros Being Sued For Over $15 Million By Tri-City ValleyCats

The Tri-City ValleyCats have filed a lawsuit against Major League Baseball and the Houston Astros after the MLB team's decision to end its affiliation with the minor league squad, according to Mark Singelais of the Times-Union.

ValleyCats chairman Doug Gladstone said his team is seeking $15 million in damages.

MLB contracted 42 minor league teams this offseason, allowing each parent organization to keep only four affiliates. The ValleyCats were part of the New York-Penn League, a short-season competition that has since folded.

It ended a run of 18 years as an Astros affiliate, which featured three NYPL titles.

The ValleyCats also served as an early stop for future stars like Jose Altuve, George Springer and Dallas Keuchel. 

While other teams in the New York-Penn League have folded or remain in limbo, Tri-City announced it will join the independent Frontier League.

"Our objective is to play baseball and we're in the baseball business — that's what we do," Gladstone said Friday. "But we also are in the business of doing the right thing for our franchise and our fans when something we think is unfair happens."

Playing as an independent team will cost an additional $220,000 to $250,000 per season due to the expenses that were previously covered by the Astros, including player salaries.