Mets, Phillies minor leaguers protest pay with wristbands – KIRO 7 News Seattle

NEW YORK – (AP) – Minor league players in the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies farm systems wear teal bracelets on Saturday to protest the pay they believe is insufficient.

At least 10 players from the Brooklyn Cyclones and Jersey Shore BlueClaws wore the bracelets – tagged #FairBall – during their High A game in New York. The demonstration was organized in part by Advocates for Minor Leaguers, who also distributed the bracelets to fans and distributed brochures detailing the players’ financial problems.

“Minor league baseball players have been severely underpaid and silenced for decades,” players from both teams said in a joint statement released by Advocates for Minor Leaguers to The Associated Press. “Today we wear #FairBall bracelets to show our solidarity with every fan and ally who is working to change that. We love the game of baseball, but it needs to evolve. It is time for every sub-division player to receive a living wage. “

High A players earn at least $ 500 a week and are only paid during the minor league season, which lasts roughly six months. While some players get a signing bonus worth hundreds of thousands – even millions – of dollars upon entry into the pro ball, many players sign for as little as $ 1,000.

The financial burden has led players to sleep on couches, air mattresses, or floors in overcrowded homes, play with tattered devices, and seek charity from fans and happier teammates.

“The players who put on bracelets in Brooklyn today will make less than $ 12,000 this year,” Advocates for Minor Leaguers said in a statement to the AP. “The MLB teams they play for are worth well over $ 2 billion. There is absolutely no excuse for that. We are proud of these players who stand up for themselves and each other. Your message should be heard loud and clear across the industry: It is time to pay the minor leagues a living wage. “

Supporters of the Minor Leaguers planned to hand out bracelets and brochures at several other stadiums across the country on Saturday, although the players’ protest in Brooklyn was supposed to be the only demonstration on the field. The brochures suggest that MLB teams pay players during the off-season and provide housing and three meals a day for players during the season.

While major league players earn a minimum of $ 570,500, players with minor league contracts are not part of the Major League Baseball Players’ Association. Prior to this season, players at the lowest levels of underage were making just $ 4,800 a year. Garrett Broshuis, co-founder of Advocates for Minor Leaguers, said he would like minor league players to eventually form their own union.

Major League Baseball increased minor league salaries in 2021, with minor league players earning between $ 12,000 and $ 16,800 per season throughout the season. The federal poverty line is $ 12,880 for individuals.

The pay rise came amid an upheaval in the player development pipeline that split affiliated minors from 160 to 120 teams.

“We’re seven months ahead of a major change that aims to address long-standing issues that have impacted minor league players,” MLB said in a statement to the AP. “Improving working conditions and wages for minor leagues is one of the main goals of modernizing” our player development system.

“The players’ salaries and working conditions are clearly better than the previous structure. While more work remains, tremendous strides have been made, increasing salaries from 38-72% for 2021, upgrading facilities, providing more amenities and conditions in the clubhouse, and reducing seasonal travel through better geographic coverage. “

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