The Blue Jays will be unilaterally increasing the pay they give their minor league players.
(The linked article is in The Athletic, which is a paid subscription site)
The news was announced by the Blue Jays' VP of Baseball Operations, Ben Cherington. Say what you will about Cherington's moves as GM, he helped to build a really strong farm system here.
"At a time of intense discussion over the low salaries of minor leaguers, the Toronto Blue Jays are positioning themselves as an organization ready to embrace change.
When the “Save America’s Pastime” act passed in March 2018, depriving minor leaguers of overtime pay beyond a 40-hour work week, the Blue Jays already were talking about how they could improve the compensation of players in their farm system.
A year later, the team is in the process of finalizing a pay increase of more than 50 percent for any player who is on a roster of an affiliated minor-league club, from the lowest rung in the Dominican Summer League to the highest level at Triple A, club officials told The Athletic.
“It puts us right now up at the top of the scale in the industry,” Jays vice president of baseball operations Ben Cherington said on Saturday. “My hope is it doesn’t stay that way. My hope is other teams eventually do the same.
“We hope that it allows our players to have the freedom and comfort to make some good choices, whether it’s where to live, where to eat, etc. We just feel like it’s consistent with our values of trying to be a player-centered organization and give them every resource possible to be at their best.”
I think this is a great move and very wise by the Jays. Their players will now have an easier time staying fit and focusing on improving. The added money could also help them attract some minor league free agents.
I hope the Red Sox do the same as soon as possible.
(The linked article is in The Athletic, which is a paid subscription site)
The news was announced by the Blue Jays' VP of Baseball Operations, Ben Cherington. Say what you will about Cherington's moves as GM, he helped to build a really strong farm system here.
"At a time of intense discussion over the low salaries of minor leaguers, the Toronto Blue Jays are positioning themselves as an organization ready to embrace change.
When the “Save America’s Pastime” act passed in March 2018, depriving minor leaguers of overtime pay beyond a 40-hour work week, the Blue Jays already were talking about how they could improve the compensation of players in their farm system.
A year later, the team is in the process of finalizing a pay increase of more than 50 percent for any player who is on a roster of an affiliated minor-league club, from the lowest rung in the Dominican Summer League to the highest level at Triple A, club officials told The Athletic.
“It puts us right now up at the top of the scale in the industry,” Jays vice president of baseball operations Ben Cherington said on Saturday. “My hope is it doesn’t stay that way. My hope is other teams eventually do the same.
“We hope that it allows our players to have the freedom and comfort to make some good choices, whether it’s where to live, where to eat, etc. We just feel like it’s consistent with our values of trying to be a player-centered organization and give them every resource possible to be at their best.”
I think this is a great move and very wise by the Jays. Their players will now have an easier time staying fit and focusing on improving. The added money could also help them attract some minor league free agents.
I hope the Red Sox do the same as soon as possible.