Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have tentatively reached an agreement on a five-year collective bargaining agreement that will cover minor league players, Athletic’s Evan Drellich first reported. The deal was approved by both union leadership and the league office, according to ESPN’s Drellich and Jeff Passan (Twitter link). Official ratification has yet to be approved by the entire league player base and ownership groups, although this is largely a formality.
For the first time, players are paid off-season. Passan notes that payments are made most of the year, with a six-week break during the winter. He provides information on the agreed minimum wages (on twitter):
- Complex Leagues: $19,800 annually (was $4,800)
- Low-A: $26,200 (up from $11,000)
- High-A: $27,300 (up from $11,000)
- Double-A: $30,250 (was $13,800)
- Triple-A: $35,800 (was $17,500)
Players will be paid during minor league spring training, with backdated payments for this year’s exhibition game. Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports that the minimum salary to work in spring training is $625 a week.
According to Drellich, the deal will include health and retirement benefits and a 401(k) plan for players, as well as grievance procedures with the possibility of hearings before impartial judges. Drellich also reports that the deal will not involve the culling of minor-league teams for at least the next five years. However, Passan reports that the domestic reserve list — the maximum number of players per organization outside of Latin America during a season — will be reduced from 180 to 165 beginning with the 2024 season.
Reducing the minor league roster was an MLB goal during major league bargaining last year; The union declined the league’s proposals to that end during the lockout, but MLB was able to achieve a degree during those talks. During negotiations last year, the league wanted the number to be below 150 players. They’re not getting that far under this agreement, but have managed to reduce the size of organizational rosters a bit.
Drellich reports a notable development for senior signers (Twitter link). Players who sign with a club aged 19 or older can now qualify for minor league free agency after portions of six seasons in the minors if they are not included in the 40-man roster. Previously, all minor leagues had to appear in parts of seven seasons before qualifying for free agency.
That seven-year mark will still apply to younger signers — mostly high school conscripts and international amateurs — but will force teams to make a quicker decision on most players drafted out of college or later than usual signed to the international market. In particular, this only applies to players who enter professional ball from here. it is not retroactive.
Drellich reports on some further details in an article that is worth reading for those interested in the subject. Developments include adjustments to the player housing program, a committee to provide feedback on rule changes MLB is testing in the minor leagues, and the creation of a joint drug covenant and domestic violence policy.
Minor league players voted to unionize last September. Their negotiating group came under the umbrella of the MLBPA and set the stage for the Players Association and the MLB to work on the first minor league CBA in history. Voting will take place among players on Thursday, with the agreement expected to be finalized on Friday – the opening days of the minor league season.
The games would have continued even if no CBA had been agreed. The players had no idea they were going on strike, and the league wasn’t going to lock them out either. The game would have continued under the previous terms while the sides continued to negotiate. Still, the appeal of striking a deal before the start of the season is obvious. Players negotiate significant increases in minimum wages and other employment benefits. MLB had sponsored legislation to exempt minor leagues from Florida’s state minimum wage protection. That will probably no longer be an issue.
Coincidentally, Wednesday saw a development on the non-CBA front regarding minor league pay. A federal judge approved the $185 million settlement the league and a group of players agreed to last June to settle a class-action lawsuit, Drellich reported (Twitter link). Barring appeals, this statement can be distributed to players in 30 days.