Major League Baseball and the minor-league players in the MLB Players Association have reached an agreement on a Collective Bargaining Agreement, the first in history that will apply to minor-league players, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The CBA will have a five-year duration, as is the usual for CBA in the world of baseball, and will at least double pay at all levels.
Per Passan, here's how the pay structure will change under the CBA:
Complex league: from $4,800 per year up to $19,800Low-A: $11,000 to $26,200High-A: $11,000 to $27,300AA: $13,800 to $30,250AAA: $17,500 to $35,800Additionally, Passan notes that players will be paid "almost year-round." Minor-league players were previously not paid during the offseason or spring training. Being paid a livable wage, and being paid on a year-round basis were major points of contention for minor-league players in the past.
Minor-league players voted to unionize last September. At the time, MLBPA director Tony Clark said the following:
I applaud this extraordinary group of young Players and welcome them to the MLBPA.
The historic achievement required the right group of Players and the right moment to succeed. Minor Leaguers have courageously seized that moment, and we look forward to improving their terms and conditions of employment through the process of good faith collective bargaining.
I also want to acknowledge the tireless efforts of Harry Marino and the dedicated group he led at Advocates for Minor Leaguers, without whom this historic organizing campaign would not have been possible.
The news comes just hours before MLB welcomes a new regular season to the fold. The minor-league season, meanwhile, will begin on Friday, March 31 with Triple-A clubs opening up their schedules.
