MLB Players Association Negotiates Deal to Get Minor Leaguers Paid

[Major League Ready]

16 hours ago, DJL44 said:

The big bonuses for top draft picks are because those players are perceived to be worth much more than the bonus. Why take money away from the players perceived to be the most talented and give it to less talented players? In order for the union to work you need to take care of the star players as well as the scrubs.

Top talent has choices. Some will play a different sport. Some will go to college and get paid through NIL endorsements. Some may go overseas. Some will play independently until their draft rights expire and sign a free agent deal. Some will choose to play another year of college instead of taking the bonus.

How many are going to play another sport?  This is a hyperbolic argument.  We hear about every top prospect that could be drafted into another sport and they are a tiny percentage of the players that are actually top prospects in 2 sports.  Name 5 from the last 10 years.  Then, how many of those players with the potential to earn hundreds of millions will decide based on their draft bonus.  If they are not in the top half of the first round, the money is not that consequential especially if there is any indication they are more likely to succeed in baseball.  Their perceived relative ability to succeed in one sport over the other is more likely to influence their decision.

What difference does it make if a player stays for another year of college or plays independent ball.  How does that impact the product we pay to see?  How does it change MLB at all?

Why should players get paid on perceived value?  They are going to make an insane amount of money if they actually live up to the perception so why should they be paid on perception.   How is it fair that Mark Appel get's $6.35M to fail and many prospects get less than $100K to succeed?  This union is totally focused on stars and the rest get the scraps.   If the money paid to perceived stars that fail was allocated to all players, Milb players would be well compensated.  It sure seems to pay the enormous money when players actually earn it while taking much better care of all the other players who make these league possible.

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

What difference does it make if a player stays for another year of college or plays independent ball.  How does that impact the product we pay to see?  How does it change MLB at all?

Why should players get paid on perceived value? 

First, all players get paid on perceived value. Edwin Diaz just injured himself and is out for the season. Is that "fair"?

It matters a lot if the top players say to hell with it, play independent ball for a year and sign big free agent contracts with the Yankees and Dodgers when their draft rights expire. It matters if players drafted by the Pirates (knowing their pay is the same no matter when they get drafted) decide to go back to school for a year and re-enter the draft hoping some other organization drafts them instead. It makes the draft pointless. That would kill the main way small market teams acquire talent.

[DJL44]

There's another angle here. Top draft pick bonuses keep independent leagues from starting. Remember the USFL?

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

First, all players get paid on perceived value. Edwin Diaz just injured himself and is out for the season. Is that "fair"?

It matters a lot if the top players say to hell with it, play independent ball for a year and sign big free agent contracts with the Yankees and Dodgers when their draft rights expire. It matters if players drafted by the Pirates (knowing their pay is the same no matter when they get drafted) decide to go back to school for a year and re-enter the draft hoping some other organization drafts them instead. It makes the draft pointless. That would kill the main way small market teams acquire talent.

You are really reaching.  Edwin Diaz and a player that has literally never played an inning of professional baseball are two entirely different things.   A player getting paid while they are injured is an entirely different thing.  BTW .... I don't know if it's fair that Diaz gets paid when he is not paying but there is ABSOLUTELY no way the players would ever concede that benefit so there is no point in discussing it as a potential solution.

I don't know that there is any real threat of players gambling their career on playing independent baseball.  However, did you notice this model allows for an infinite degree of variation to account for such concerns.   You could start the bonuses at $3M and you still have an $800K at the end of the 2nd round while paying every player after the 6th round $50K.  This model still allows for a $30K increase to every full season Milb player.  1st and 2nd round draft picks are not giving up $1-3M to play independent ball.  

[Rosterman]

And, remember, six-year minor league free agents can negotiate higher salaries, and 40-man roster guys are also paid more.

Players will hopefully get better nutrition at home parks, and decent money on the road. The off cost is still having housing that you basically sleep in for half the season and the cost of that. Again, sleep in as you can go to the park and use workout facilities, hang in the clubhouse if you like, et al. And your apartment sits vacant while you are on the road.

Past minor league players have to be shaking their heads that this didn't happen when they were...struggling.

 

[nclahammer]

Again, not sure where you're going with this, the link you provided is 5 years old?  Anything current?

On 3/30/2023 at 9:48 AM, Riverbrian said:

Here's an article explaining what baseball did with the help a high placed friend in Washington. 

 

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/3/23/17152778/spending-bill-minor-league-baseball-explained-save-americas-pastime

 

I'll reiterate my main talking point again...History has shown that when everyday people make more money, they end up spending more money in the communities in which they live and work.   How is that a bad thing?  Minor League baseball will still be the best financial deal in professional baseball for fans, even after its players earn a liveable wage.

[Riverbrian]

27 minutes ago, nclahammer said:

Again, not sure where you're going with this, the link you provided is 5 years old?  Anything current?

I'll reiterate my main talking point again...History has shown that when everyday people make more money, they end up spending more money in the communities in which they live and work.   How is that a bad thing?  Minor League baseball will still be the best financial deal in professional baseball for fans, even after its players earn a liveable wage.

I agree with you. I'm not arguing your point in your 2nd paragraph. I think this is an awesome thing for baseball. 

You are clearly not sure where I was going with this. 

I really hope you are not looking for a recent link of Major League Baseball using (obviously paying) an elected congressional representative to slip already defeated language into a massive omni-bus bill when they have already done that and it is still the rule of the land. 

If you are indeed looking for a recent link... I apologize because I don't have that. I'm not aware of the need for baseball or congress to do that again since it has already been done so I haven't been checking for it. 

It was you who said:  "Campaign contribution?  Quietly slipped into massive spending bill?  By who?  We're all reading about this now...in a public forum".

So I posted a 5 year old link so you can remove the question marks in your post. 😉