MLB said that it would continue working to identify additional ways it can support MiLBersGETTY IMAGES
MLB will "pay all minor leaguers according to a uniform compensation plan until the original start of the season, which was set for April 9," as MiLBers will "receive their team allowances lost during the shutdown in a lump sum," according to Bradford William Davis of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. MLB said that it would "continue working with each team to identify additional ways they can support their players during the delayed season." But right now, for MiLB players, there is not "any clear timeline for when they would begin to play baseball, and thus, earn their typically sub-poverty wages." Minor league Spring Training per diems have been "put on hold for most players, save for players with the Mets, Rays and Dodgers" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/20). Reds GM Nick Krall said, "We were excited to be able to help these kids." The AP's Seiner & McCauley note MiLBers were "sent scrambling late last week when MLB suspended spring training." Meanwhile, MLB has recommended that players from Venezuela and other "high-risk areas be kept in the U.S. and instructed teams to help those players find suitable accommodations." Seiner & McCauley note minimum salaries for full-season minor league teams "range from $290 per week at Class A to $502 per week at Triple-A over the five-month season" (AP, 3/20). The Giants have said that they "plan to pay for players more than the agreed-upon amount for all 30 teams" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/19).
NOW WHAT? In DC, Jesse Dougherty notes now the "most pressing" question is "what will happen beyond April 8." MLB on Thursday said that it "would try to have a plan by then," adding that it was "still in communication with the 30 teams to iron one out." Dougherty notes because minor league players "don’t have a union" and the MLBPA is "focused on players in the majors, they have little to no negotiation power and are at the whims of MLB and their parent clubs" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/20). In San Jose, Shayna Rubin also notes MiLBers' "financial fate amid a national emergency lies entirely in the MLB’s hands." Rubin writes, "Odd jobs during dangerous times won’t cut it" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 3/20). In S.F., Matt Kawahara notes many minor leaguers "hadn’t received a paycheck from their teams since August." A's MiLB P Peter Bayer in a text wrote, "Obviously, it’s not much but it’s more than we thought." Kawahara notes "still unclear, though, is what happens in early April, when minor-league games were supposed to start." Garrett Broshuis, a former Giants MiLBer and current lawyer who advocates for higher minor-league wages, said that players "could be in a bind come early April." Kawahara notes "many minor leaguers work offseason jobs, but in this case would be looking for jobs they can promptly leave when baseball resumes" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/20).
SERVICE TIME STOPPAGE: In N.Y., Joel Sherman reports MLB’s plan was "not to work out a package for the minor leaguers until it had finalized a deal with how to handle 40-man roster players." Sherman: "That no deal had yet to be reached by Thursday afternoon indicates what a hurdle working out service time is in negotiations between MLB and the Players Association" (N.Y. POST, 3/20). On Long Island, David Lennon writes under the header, "Figuring Out Service Time In Truncated MLB Season Will Be Difficult" (NEWSDAY, 3/20).
