But after taxes, the majority of players' salaried take-home pay is minuscule. With signing bonuses between domestic and international players topping $450 million in 2021, not all face financial issues. That would not be the case, according to players, were salaries higher. Between procuring new accommodations and figuring out how to extract themselves from old ones, players say housing is the most acute problem for minor leaguers. When players are promoted, organizations typically will provide them a hotel room for a few days, then expect them to arrange housing themselves. The mental issues only compound the problems. Others have trouble securing apartments, whether because of low income or nonexistent credit, and spent a majority of their paycheck on hotels, where teams' discounted rates barely lessen the burden. Some players say they have spent nights in their cars or at stadiums when they could not afford a hotel. Though the minor leagues especially are populated with small towns and lower rents, they also include some of the most expensive cities in the country, such as Brooklyn, the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets, and San Jose, the Low-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.Įven in locations with lower rent, minor league players often pile into small apartments and sleep on air mattresses because their wages can't provide more. The total cost for a team to house all minor league players at home for one season, according to two executives whose teams had explored doing so before the league pursued its mandate, is less than $1 million. Other teams offered rooms or stipends at certain affiliates. Multiple teams were discussing following the lead of the Houston Astros, who this season covered lodging for all their minor league players at home and on the road. Momentum toward providing housing at the team level already was increasing behind the scenes, sources told ESPN. In addition, hundreds of millions of dollars worth of improvements to minor league ballparks around the country are already underway, including substantial renovations to player-facing facilities like locker rooms and training rooms." In 2021, we increased the salaries for minor league players by 38-72%, depending on level, and significantly reduced travel requirements during the season. In a statement, the league said in part: "MLB is engaged in a multi-year effort to modernize the minor league system and better assist players as they pursue their dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. As a result, addressing that issue became our top priority." "When we started talking to players this season about the difficulties they face, finding and paying for in-season housing was at the top of almost every player's list. "This is a historic victory for minor league baseball players," Harry Marino, executive director of Advocates of Minor Leaguers and a former minor league player, told ESPN. The emergence of groups Advocates for Minor Leaguers and More Than Baseball, their use of social media to highlight the living conditions of minor league players and the willingness of players to talk on the record about their experiences illuminated issues about which players have spoken privately for years. Minor league players have grown increasingly outspoken about their working conditions, criticizing teams for salaries that leave some below the poverty line, and the financial issues that stem from having to provide their own housing for home games. Whether they will offer stipends that fully cover housing or provide the lodging itself has yet to be decided, sources said. In mid-September, owners from the league's 30 teams agreed unanimously to a plan that would provide housing for certain minor league players, the league said in a statement. While MLB has yet to outline its plan formally, six team officials told ESPN they are starting to prepare to help house players across each of their four minor league affiliates. Major League Baseball to require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022Īmid mounting pressure from players and advocacy groups, Major League Baseball said on Sunday it will require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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