Major League Baseball announced a league-wide initiative Thursday so minor-league players can receive compensation between now and the scheduled start of the minor-league season.
A league-wide initiative has been announced for Minor League players to receive compensation between now and the scheduled start of the Minor League season. @MLB will continue to work with all 30 Clubs on the development of an industry-wide plan for compensation beyond 4/8. pic.twitter.com/Ck8Lv9uuzp
— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) March 19, 2020
The minor-league season was scheduled to start Apr. 8. The 30 clubs will continue to work on a compensation plan beyond then.
"I think you have to commend Major League Baseball, the Pirates and the 29 other teams of stepping up and doing something for those minor-league players," Derek Shelton said in a conference call Thursday afternoon. "... Those guys are the future of major-league teams and they're very important for the sustainability for a lot of teams, especially us in Pittsburgh."
Minor-League players do not get paid during spring training, but clubs do provide them housing and a per diem before the regular season starts. However, that changed on Mar. 12 when the league suspended spring training due to the nationwide COVID-19, or coronavirus, pandemic.
At that point, many teams -- including the Pirates -- started sending their minor-league players home, with nobody knowing when they would return, making it difficult for them to get jobs during the shutdown.
The league will be sending the per diems each player was due through the end of spring training, or roughly $400 per week.
MLB left minor-league players in limbo during the shutdown, not giving them any details on if they would be paid during the shutdown before Thursday's announcement.
Some players spoke out during that time, like Pirates' prospect Stephen Alemais, who went to Twitter to say this after the league announced they would compensate stadium workers during the hiatus:
Super proud of all 30 @MLB teams donating 1million dollars each to help employees..but how about us minor league @MiLB guys who are also your employees who make no money and can’t get any jobs at the moment. Also some guys can’t return home to their countries
— Stephen Alemais (@StephenAlemais) March 17, 2020
Alemais told me he drew critics for that post, but also had plenty of players -- both in the majors and minors -- support his message.
On Thursday, he told me he thinks MLB is on the right path with their initiative.
"I think it's a start," Alemais said about the league's announcement. "It's going to guys move around and get situated."
