Governor asks MLB to save eastern Ohio’s Mahoning Valley Scrappers

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in a letter sent Friday to the commissioner of Major League Baseball asked that an Ohio minor league team proposed for elimination be saved.

DeWine in his letter to Commissioner Rob Manfred cited the history of charitable giving, the more than 4 million fans that have attended Mahoning Valley Scrappers games since the club was founded in 1999, and the more than 200 full- and part-time workers the club employs each year.

The Scrappers are on a list of 42 teams proposed for elimination. The club is based outside Youngstown in Niles, and is a short-season Class A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

DeWine, a Republican, and his family own a Class A franchise in Asheville, North Carolina, that is not on the elimination list.

MLB and the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues are negotiating a minor league agreement to replace the contract expiring after the 2020 season. MLB has cited concerns over the quality of facilities, travel and salaries for players as reasons for eliminating teams.