Melbourne Aces, two-time winners of the Australian Baseball League in 2019/20 and 2020/21, have thrown the competition into potential disarray by leaving the league in favour of playing in the Korea Baseball League's pre-season fall competition, in addition to what they promise will be a series of high profile home games against KBO teams in the January-February window.
After registering the ABL's highest average attendance for a second season running, Aces ownership Shaun and Brett Ralph revealed on Monday afternoon that increasing frustration with league management "years of discussions with the ABL regarding unresolved concerns" led to the decision to explore commercial opportunities in Korea.
International company in the KBO Fall League is nothing new, with last year's edition featuring composite teams from Cuba and Mexico as well as representation from China and Japan.
In what they describe as "an exciting new chapter" for the franchise, the Aces have promised "prominent KBO team commitments for 2026" for their home season in January and February, vowing to bring some of the best Korean baseball talent to the Melbourne Ballpark in direct competition with the ABL.
Further details on precisely what that schedule entails will be revealed in coming months.
The full statement from the franchise is below: