Bush league

"This was going to be a deciding year for me..." Also, 7 other things worth your time.

There’s a minor league relief pitcher under contract in the Oakland Athletics farm system named Pete Bayer. Last year he pitched 50 relief innings, wearing jersey number 17 for the Stockton Ports, the team’s affiliate in the Class A California League. It’s pro ball, but near the bottom of the minor league ladder.

It’s unlikely that there will be a minor league season for 2020, so Bayer probably won’t be playing anywhere. On top of that, Oakland is about to become the only franchise in baseball that says it won’t continue paying its minor leaguers their $400-per-week stipend as of June 1, despite holding them to their contracts.

The move saves the parent club about $1 million, according to The Wall Street Journal. (Each team is making its own policy after the end of May.)

Ironically, despite the lost season, Bayer has now suddenly become one of the most visible minor league players in the country. He was quoted in that Journal article about the savings and elsewhere, and he’s emerged as…