Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the sport's antitrust exemption in a 17-page letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Friday, writing that without it, MLB wouldn't be able to maintain the minor leagues on such a wide scale.
MLB supports 184 teams in 43 states, including teams in the minor league and partner leagues, Manfred said.
"Without coordinated oversight and decision-making by MLB, it is likely that more Minor League affiliates will leave their existing communities for a superior player-development environment, and that fewer -- rather than more -- Minor League clubs affiliated with MLB clubs will exist in the future," Manfred wrote, per ESPN's Joon Lee.