After a week of increasing pressure on Major League Baseball to do something to support minor leaguers, Major League Baseball just announced a plan to offer them interim assistance.
Under the plan, each player who is under a minor league uniform player contract will receive a lump sum equal to the allowances that they would have received through April 8th. As it stood, minor leaguers did not get paid during spring training but did receive a few hundred dollars a week during spring training and until the season started. This represents that money in a single bundle. It’s not a lot, but it puts them where they would’ve been to some degree. Of course they have experienced disruption and unexpected travel and all of that as well, which this does not account for.
There are exceptions to the plan. Per MLB’s announcement: “non-40-man-roster players who are already receiving Major League allowances, players who are currently receiving housing, food or other services from clubs; and players who were not participating in, or expected to participate in, Minor League Spring Training.” will not receive the lump sum.
Again, the league says this is an interim step and that, “MLB remains in communication with Clubs on the development of an industry-wide plan for Minor League player compensation from April 9th through the beginning of the coming season.” Whenever that is.
From the official announcement:
There will, no doubt, be more to come.
