After considerable deliberation between the Minor League Baseball Association and executives with Major League Baseball, it was confirmed that players under the minor banner would receive a salary increase throughout the 2021 season. This announcement followed after it was confirmed that the commissioner’s office sent a memo to the Associated Press, which noted all thirty outfits under the Minor League Baseball Association. This salary increase is listed at 3% to 72%, which will be determined based on the skillsets of each respective player.
The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues held these negotiations between both outfits, with the governing body demanding that the former agreement be replaced. Rob Manfred, the Commission for Major League Baseball, wanted to sever all ties with Minor League Baseball. After the considerable backlash to this public decision, Rob Manfred returned with an offer that would see forty-two teams terminated. It’d break the whole minor league outfits down to 138. Bernie Sanders was one of the most vocal individuals against this decision, expressing to Rob Manfred that Washington would get involved under his election into office.
Representatives with the Minor League Baseball Association expressed their unwavering support to the pay increases but believed that reductions in available teams and players wouldn’t benefit the sport. Considering that MLB earns billions per year, they can more than afford to maintain a salary increase without affecting their overall bottom line. Minor League Baseball associates have provided Rob Manfred with a counter-proposal, which demands that older facilities be updated and that efforts be made to expand this sport. The Houston Astros and Minor League Baseball scandals have forced Rob Manfred to re-negotiate. He could find himself destroying the image of professional baseball, which would see his job immediately terminated.
The Good News
It should be noted that Major League Baseball outfits are forced to pay the salaries of minor league players. Rob Manfred demanded that this mindset be altered and that Minor League outfits begin paying a percentage of the associated costs. This saw increased vocal frustration towards the commissioner, with Minor League Baseball being a cemented icon in the United States. It’s benefits millions of children and young adults towards a better, more athletic lifestyle. Since the announcement that salary increases will be provided with teams being terminated, a large percentage of the backlash against Rob Manfred has depleted. Additional details regarding the new agreement haven’t been publicly offered, with those details still being determined.