Staten Island Yankees whiff on lawsuit vs. New York Yankees, MLB

The owners of the Staten Island Yankees (who called Richmond County Bank Ballpark home) sued the New York Yankees and Major League Baseball “to hold those entities accountable for false promises” that they would always keep the team as a farm club.

The Staten Island Yankees are down to their last at-bat.

The New York Post reports “New York State Supreme Court judge Barry Ostrager on Thursday dismissed seven of the eight causes of action in a $20 million-plus lawsuit filed against the Yankees and Major League Baseball last December by Nostalgic Partners, the consortium that owned the Staten Island Yankees from 2011 until the team’s dissolution last winter.”

The only part of the lawsuit which can go forward “concerns Nostalgic’s contention that the Yankees breached a contract with the group.” According to the Post, “the judge ordered the two sides to appear remotely in a preliminary conference on Oct. 7 for the next step.”

In December, the Staten Island Yankees announced their intention to sue, after being squeezed out amid the contraction of minor-league baseball. In November, news broke that the number of minor-league affiliates across the country was being reduced from 160 to 120. As a result, the Yankees decided to reduce their number of minor-league teams from 10 to six. Per Yankees PR:

With the elimination of the Short-Season New York-Penn League, the Yankees carefully considered hosting their High Single-A affiliate in Staten Island. However, as the number of our minor league affiliates have been limited, we did not have the confidence that the organization could continue to allow us to develop our players in the best possible way, especially since the team would have to transition into a full-season Single-A affiliate.

As a result of our decision, we found it essential that the people of Staten Island continue to have baseball, and we appreciate and thank them for their support. The borough of Staten Island will always be a part of the Yankees family. We are committed to working diligently with Major League Baseball, the City of New York Economic Development Corporation, and Staten Island Borough President Oddo to ensure that a team from Baseball’s new partner — the reconfigured Atlantic League — will be playing there this season.

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One month later, the Staten Island Yankees announced they were “ceasing operations” and bringing in the lawyers.

Sportico reported “Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees filed a motion to dismiss the Staten Island Yankees’ lawsuit. MLB and the Bronx Bombers maintain that the minor league club, which sued them and Steinbrenner family trustee Charles Norman Stallings for $20 million, has offered ‘a grab bag of purported claims’ that are devoid of merit.”

An attorney for the New York Yankees called the ruling “a great victory for the Steinbrenner Trusts and for the Yankees. ... The Yankees will appeal the one remaining claim and are confident they will prevail on appeal.”

“We are extremely pleased with the results,” said Glenn Reicin, a partner in Nostalgic.

The Staten Island Yankees began play in the New York-Penn League in 1999 and went on to win six league titles.

It’s worth noting that the New York Yankees, as part of their minor league reorganization, also abandoned the Trenton Thunder as the club’s Double-A affiliate and switched to the Somerset Patriots, ending an 18-year partnership with state capital.

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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.

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