The increased salaries for MiLBers will cost the Giants at least $500,000 a yearGETTY IMAGES
The MLB Giants will "raise salaries for their minor leaguers this season, a year sooner than a plan approved by owners last week, and add what could be a first-of-its-kind housing allowance," according to Henry Schulman of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The increases will "cost the organization at least $500,000 a year, possibly in the high six figures." The new compensation package "will not stanch criticism that minor leaguers are still not paid adequately, nor paid at all during spring training and at instructional leagues, but the Giants believe it will put them at or near the top of the industry." Giants President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi said, "This is something I've increasingly felt was an adjustment that makes sense. It's just been a topic of conversation for me in my year in the organization, and we moved on it. For us, there's no reason not to do it now instead of waiting another year." Schulman notes the Blue Jays unilaterally raised pay for their minor league players last season (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/19).
MORE HONEY TO GO AROUND: In Chicago, Mark Gonzales cites a source as saying that the Cubs also are "raising the minimum salaries for minor-league players throughout the organization by at least 50% this year." The raises "would alleviate some of the criticism" MLB has "received for not giving minor-leaguers livable wages." A source said that Cubs Chair Tom Ricketts "took the initiative to authorize the salary increases." Gonzales notes those raises will "kick in ahead of MLB's plan to increase minor-league salaries" for the '21 season (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 2/19). Cubs Exec VP & GM Jed Hoyer said that the pay bumps will "take effect this season and will mirror those made by the Blue Jays" in '19, when they "became the first club to boost pay by giving all minor leaguers 50% raises." Hoyer added that the idea "was pushed" by the Ricketts family. Hoyer: "We put a tremendous emphasis on player development. We put a tremendous emphasis on our minor league talent, and the Ricketts family were pretty adamant that we treat them as well as anybody. ... They just sort of took it on as kind of an ownership project, which is great" (AP, 2/19).
