Baseball history was reached on Wednesday and it will have a massive impact on Minor League Baseball and Minor League Baseball players going forward.
For the first time in history, Minor League Baseball players will have a collective-bargaining agreement.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported the historic news on Wednesday night.
A deal is in place between the minor league players in the MLBPA and Major League Baseball on the historic first collective-bargaining agreement for minor leaguers, union officials tell ESPN. Deal is five years and includes at least 2x pay at all levels of the minors.
BREAKING: A deal is in place between the minor league players in the MLBPA and Major League Baseball on the historic first collective-bargaining agreement for minor leaguers, union officials tell ESPN. Deal is five years and includes at least 2x pay at all levels of the minors.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 30, 2023
He later detailed exactly what the pay increases would look like. All five levels of Minor League Baseball will have their pays increased by at least double. At the lowest level, it will be increased by more than four times.
Details on pay increases in the minor leagues:
Complex league: From $4,800 per year to $19,800
Low-A: $11,000 to $26,200
High-A: $11,000 to $27,300
AA: $13,800 to $30,250
AAA: $17,500 to $35,800Players will be paid almost year-round, aside from a six-week break in the winter.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 30, 2023
The baseball world reacted to the historic news.
HUGE news https://t.co/WVhWqF0HYH
— Regina Ham (@regina_ham) March 30, 2023
Glad things are finally moving in the right direction for minor leaguers https://t.co/BwJlBYf4Yh
— Steve Boynton (@SteveBoyntonVT) March 30, 2023
This is incredible https://t.co/s9Y2kpl6gu
— Danny Samet (@SannyDamet) March 30, 2023
MASSIVE W to start the year.
Pay minor leaguers. Period. https://t.co/rY0QeInuLG
— Mills (@MillsTwitch) March 30, 2023
https://twitter.com/BenKaspick/status/1641259506452811776
Pair these increases with mandatory team-provided housing and a lot fewer guys are going to wash out because they can’t afford to feed their families. That’s a huge win for the game. https://t.co/yxpm4Eo4gZ
— Jeff Jones (@jmjones) March 30, 2023
The treatment of Minor League Baseball players has long been a source of contention between the teams and players. Whether these increases will be enough remains to be seen. But it’s a big step in the right direction.
