Two Iowa Minor League Teams Lose MLB Affiliation

The Clinton Lumberkings and the Burlington Bees were among the 40 teams dropped as professional affiliates as Major League Baseball went through with its plan to cut to 120 farm teams. The two Iowa-based teams joined Kane County (Ill.) as Midwest League towns to lose their affiliations. The Cedar Rapids Kernels and Quad Cities River Bandits survived in the Midwest League, which will shift from low Class A to high Class A under the restructuring. Cedar Rapids will remain affiliated with the Minnesota Twins, and Quad Cities becomes a Kansas City Royals affiliate.