Manfred: If MiLB Players Get Raise, Teams will Be Folded

[Redskins Rick]

This is correct. I'm good friends with the gentleman who coordinates the volunteer housing process in Salisbury.

I have read in the paper about some of the Bowie Baysox support families that provide the same thing there.

[howboutthoseos]

Are the players' salaries paid for by the big club or the given independently owned affiliate they are playing for? Or some combination?

[jjnono]

Perhaps the benevolent Angelos will take it upon himself, a la Jamie Dimon, to toss a few shekels at his lowest paid assets and declare himself a forward thinking and enlightened benefactor for the masses?

Nah, I think he sends them all overseas to live and play in Taiwan, and gives them US dollars to spend... That'll seem like a raise.

[weams]

Are the players' salaries paid for by the big club or the given independently owned affiliate they are playing for? Or some combination?

MLB club.

[weams]

Perhaps the benevolent Angelos will take it upon himself, a la Jamie Dimon, to toss a few shekels at his lowest paid assets and declare himself a forward thinking and enlightened benefactor for the masses?

Nah, I think he sends them all overseas to live and play in Taiwan, and gives them US dollars to spend... That'll seem like a raise.

I think the collective barganing agreement with the Union precludes that being done. The players are not interested in having additional competition subsidized. It's a complex matter.

[webbrick2010]

Just sickens me that the overwhelming opinion is that everyone is entitled to more than they are presently paid

If a young man wants to pursue his dream/love of baseball and play a game for low wages than that is his choice.

Supply/Demand, unless you want to enforce price controls (min and eventually max) wages

Hell Cramer lived in his car for 3 years pursuing his dream of being a hedge fund manager

Baseball should lose it's anti trust exemption

[Redskins Rick]

What brothers me, Manfred doesn't take into account on how wealthy some of the minor league teams are. When a single A team that is run well and worth 31 million dollars is nothing to sneeze at.

[howboutthoseos]

MLB club.

Then I'm trying to understand Manfred's statement. If salaries are paid for by the MILB clubs, then I can see several potentially going out of business if higher salaries were forced on them (similar to several restaurants shutting down in Seattle after the minimum wage was raised to $15). But if the salaries are being paid by the MLB clubs, why would the existence of some of the affiliates be threatened? Are the MLB margins so thin that the big clubs couldn't afford the slightly higher salaries (I think someone compared it to the equivalent of Pedro Alvarez for everyone in a system combined)?

[weams]

Then I'm trying to understand Manfred's statement. If salaries are paid for by the MILB clubs, then I can see several potentially going out of business if higher salaries were forced on them (similar to several restaurants shutting down in Seattle after the minimum wage was raised to $15). But if the salaries are being paid by the MLB clubs, why would the existence of some of the affiliates be threatened? Are the MLB margins so thin that the big clubs couldn't afford the slightly higher salaries (I think someone compared it to the equivalent of Pedro Alvarez for everyone in a system combined)?

It's just a threat. Get a raise. Lose your job.

[weams]

Hell Cramer lived in his car for 3 years pursuing his dream of being a hedge fund manager

So did Billy Rowell pursuing his. Well. Truck.

[DrungoHazewood]

All minor leaguers who wish to stay so can opt out of affiliated ball, play independent and negotiate whatever salaries their talents command in the market. They are still eligible to play MLB ball if their attention grab is great enough. It's not like they are banned for all time like it used to be.

Except that MLB changed the draft rules 10 or 15 years ago, so someone who plays in an indy league for five years is treated exactly like someone who is coming out of high school/college. Rights revert to MLB team that drafted you for quite a while. You're not a free agent if you're drafted and decline affiliated ball.

[weams]

Except that MLB changed the draft rules 10 or 15 years ago, so someone who plays in an indy league for five years is treated exactly like someone who is coming out of high school/college. Rights revert to MLB team that drafted you for quite a while. You're not a free agent if you're drafted and decline affiliated ball.

I never said you were free to come back, I said you could if you were good enough. The Dream of Lew Ford is alive in Portland.

[DrungoHazewood]

It's just a threat. Get a raise. Lose your job.

It's no different than the Chamber of Commerce stating that X million people will lose their jobs if the minimum wage is increased Y dollars. It's almost certainly not that straightforward, and subject to many externalities. Manfred's statement wouldn't have nearly as much punch phrased like "this will have a minor impact on our bottom lines and we might consider lowering the number of affiliates as a ploy to discourage changes in regulation."

[DrungoHazewood]

I never said you were free to come back, I said you could if you were good enough. The Dream of Lew Ford is alive in Portland.

I always wanted to see a college kid jump to Japan/Korea/Mexico, play 3-4 years, then try to come back and hire Frobby to fight MLB. It would be fun to see the straight-faced arguments from MLB about how it was in everyone's best interest to have him continue to be treated as the #37 overall pick by the Padres from four years ago.

[weams]

I always wanted to see a college kid jump to Japan/Korea/Mexico, play 3-4 years, then try to come back and hire Frobby to fight MLB. It would be fun to see the straight-faced arguments from MLB about how it was in everyone's best interest to have him continue to be treated as the #37 overall pick by the Padres from four years ago.

Where is Curt Flood when you need him.