Since the shrinking of the minor leagues post-2020, independent baseball leagues are playing a larger role in the development picture. We ask if a non-affiliated Independent minor league team would offer a benefit to the minor league structure. We draw from the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League who played the 2023-24 season as an independent team prior to gaining afflation with the Carolina Hurricanes. We discuss how that would work and why it would offer players a viable showcase opportunity against affiliated players.
