ORLANDO, Fla. – Since 2012, Major League Baseball has teamed with all 30 clubs to host a charity auction during the Winter Meetings that will benefit a specific cause that is especially meaningful to the game.
The auction – which offers once-in-a-lifetime experiences organized by dozens of media relations departments and front offices through the league – has raised $2 million toward a variety of causes. This year, proceeds from the auction will go toward the Little League Disaster Relief Fund. Resources will be directed to the fund to help leagues impacted by disaster receive the support they need to rebuild, recover and continue providing children with the life lessons learned through youth baseball and softball.
The auction is now LIVE at MLB.com/WinterMeetingsAuction until Thursday, Dec. 11, at 10 p.m. ET.
"Major League Baseball recognizes the essential role Little League plays in communities across the country," said April Brown, MLB’s senior vice president of social responsibility. "Collaborating with Little League to support their new Disaster Relief Fund ensures that essential resources are available when communities face setbacks due to natural disasters. MLB is proud to help this cause at the Winter Meetings auction to rapidly repair facilities, replace necessary equipment and get Little Leaguers back on the field to maintain an important element of community life.”
At an introductory press conference at the Winter Meetings Monday morning, MLB Network analyst Cliff Floyd, who played 17 years in the big leagues and won the World Series with the Marlins in 1997, recalled his love for Little League baseball when he was growing up, and credited it with helping shape his life.
“Growing up in Chicago, Illinois, I was always excited to play for Markham Manor Little League,” Floyd said. “We all start somewhere. For every kid whose dream is to make it to the big leagues, their first memories of teamwork and heart were made on a Little League field.”
With 125 Auction items across a combined total of 85 clubs (Major and Minor League), MLB Network and the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, there is a range of offerings for everyone, including the ultimate 2026 All-Star Week experience (MLB), a studio tour and autographed baseballs (MLB Network), an exclusive tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum (National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y.) and more.
Club offerings include a range of experiences, including a tour of Wrigley Field and game tickets (Cubs), playing catch with Francisco Lindor (Mets), personalized video greetings from players (Yankees), a Bryce Harper autographed jersey (Phillies) and an autographed Mookie Betts jersey (Dodgers).
“Little League is grateful that we enjoy a tremendous partnership with Major League Baseball, all the clubs, both at the Major League and Minor League level. Every year, Little League programs around the world face impact from natural disasters. As communities begin the long road to recovery, we want to ensure that the fields that boys and girls play on, baseball and softball, are ready, and they have the equipment necessary when the kids are ready to return,” said Patrick Wilson, Little League president and chief executive officer.
Other causes the Winter Meetings Auction has supported over the years include lung cancer research in honor and memory of Orioles public relations great Monica Barlow; a youth baseball and softball field in memory of Mets public relations great Shannon Forde; a scholarship fund in memory of the late beloved baseball executive Katy Feeney; the Jackie Robinson Foundation and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum; and for the five organizations leading the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.
Most recently, donations were given in support of the establishment of a new Boys & Girls Club in Uvalde, Texas – a much-needed resource for Uvalde youth and their families following the aftermath of the Robb Elementary shooting in 2022 – Stand Up To Cancer in 2023 and renovating Willie Mays Park in 2024.