Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball have 11 months to bridge an enormous chasm.



MLB is looking for sweeping change across the minors, including stadium improvements, geographic realignment and the removal of 42 teams from affiliated ball — changes MLB argues are necessary both economically and for the health of modern-day player development. Some of the axed teams would still be able to feed players into affiliated ball, but would be supporting themselves as independent teams.



Minor League Baseball argues this proposal only serves MLB’s financial interests, and that the longstanding relationship between the parties merits better treatment from the commissioner’s office.



In an interview Friday, Minor League president Pat O’Conner called the plan radical and said those 42 teams would be “basically given a death sentence.”



“Those communities will lose their baseball as a result of the...