MLB to begin providing housing for all minor leaguers starting in 2022

[UndertheHalo]

To me it seems obvious that it’s in a major league clubs interest to take care of their players.  At least to the extent that they can focus on being the best baseball players they can.  That means they need to provide them with the income to necessary to live in reasonable accommodations and feed themselves.  Maybe that means providing dorms during the season.  Maybe that means providing healthy meals.  The same way they need to provide a weight room and practice facilities. But at the very, very least they need to pay them as employees.  Which they are.  Which means they need to at least deliver the pathetically low minimum wage in whatever place they’re playing.  
 

Most of the minor league players need to also be clear eyed about what their prospects are and whether they think can manage with an organization that won’t provide the above.  If it’s the case that they can’t then like the rest of us they’ve got to consider when to stop chasing dreams or whatever and go be miserable working until they drop dead.  That’s the way it is.  That’s better than letting yourself be exploited imo.  But that’s their choice to make. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[UndertheHalo]

Largely tho, I don’t really understand what the big deal is about having some dormitories at their facilities and providing food and a small entertainment stipend.  We aren’t even really talking about that much of an investment from these billionaire freaks and their multi billion dollar baseball operations.  If you can’t afford a major league organization and the appendages that go with it then get the fuck out.  

Edited February 22, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[Lou]

29 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

Largely tho, I don’t really understand what the big deal is about having some dormitories at their facilities and providing food and a small entertainment stipend.  We aren’t even really talking about that much of an investment from these billionaire freaks and their multi billion dollar baseball operations.  If you can’t afford a major league organization and the appendages that go with it then get the fuck out.  

Where exactly are the San Bernardino facilities?

[Lou]

First person to say " in San Bernardino" licks cats.

[Lou]

40 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

If it’s the case that they can’t then like the rest of us they’ve got to consider when to stop chasing dreams or whatever and go be miserable working until they drop dead.  That’s the way it is.  That’s better than letting yourself be exploited imo.  But that’s their choice to make. 

Which is what a few of us have been saying from day one. 

Welcome to the team.

[Lou]

52 minutes ago, Taylor said:

What about the people who lost their jobs when Biden ended the Keystone Pipeline? Should we just say, "Oh boohoo. You knew this was a business that's becoming more obsolete. Quit whining and go find another job."

Yes.

[mtangelsfan]

1 hour ago, UndertheHalo said:

I think you agree that it’s an employment relationship.  If that’s the case shouldn’t they at least get minimum wage ? My understanding is that for a lot of these guys they don’t even get that. 

I don't see how that would even work.  This whole thing is an entirely different animal.  

I will say this, if the MLB union wasn't full of selfish bastards then they would fight harder for the minor leaguers or at least chip in for them.

[mtangelsfan]

59 minutes ago, Taylor said:

What about the people who lost their jobs when Biden ended the Keystone Pipeline? Should we just say, "Oh boohoo. You knew this was a business that's becoming more obsolete. Quit whining and go find another job."

Come on man, comparisons like these are why thread debates suck so badly.

[happybat4]

Baseball has way to many levels in their system. They need to go the NBA/NFL route and let colleges do the development. Have a rookie league and one minor league team. This would open up a lot of money to give the players.

[Taylor]

1 hour ago, UndertheHalo said:

@Taylor I don’t understand where you’re going with this mang ? You seem to be getting into the old apples and oranges territory.  

The sentiment that if people are unhappy they should just change their situation is common among right-leaning folks. "Pick yourself up by your bootstraps," individual responsibility, etc. 

I understand it to an extent. Plenty of people play the victim card and never do anything to improve their own station. But that had to be balanced with the truth that people in power can often do more to help the people who are dependent on them.

[UndertheHalo]

58 minutes ago, mtangelsfan said:

I don't see how that would even work.  This whole thing is an entirely different animal.  

I will say this, if the MLB union wasn't full of selfish bastards then they would fight harder for the minor leaguers or at least chip in for them.

 It would be nice if they showed some solidarity with their minor league colleagues.  I don’t disagree. 
 

I’m not sure why you think it’s substantially different from any other employment relationship though.  Particularly during the season.  I don’t know.  I just don’t think it’s that complicated.  They do baseball man things all day and then they play the games.  Seems pretty straight forward.  

Edited February 22, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[UndertheHalo]

24 minutes ago, Taylor said:

The sentiment that if people are unhappy they should just change their situation is common among right-leaning folks. "Pick yourself up by your bootstraps," individual responsibility, etc. 

I understand it to an extent. Plenty of people play the victim card and never do anything to improve their own station. But that had to be balanced with the truth that people in power can often do more to help the people who are dependent on them.

I just think the question of what to do with people whose jobs go away vs.  the issue of  exploitive labor practice are different things.  Sure, both related to broader social and economic issues.  They are their own thing though.  I don’t think that with the minor league baseball issue it makes sense to go after both.  Just my opinion. 

Edited February 22, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[Taylor]

16 minutes ago, UndertheHalo said:

I just think the question of what to do with people whose jobs go away vs.  the issue of  exploitive labor practice are different things.  Sure, both related to broader social and economic issues.  They are their own thing though.  I don’t think that with the minor league baseball issue it makes sense to go after both.  Just my opinion. 

I just think if you have the attitude of, "If you don't like where you're at, change what you're doing," you need to be consistent with it.

[UndertheHalo]

2 minutes ago, Taylor said:

I just think if you have the attitude of, "If you don't like where you're at, change what you're doing," you need to be consistent with it.

Ya I get why you’d see it as inconsistent.  I do think think he raises fair concerns about eliminating those jobs but the question about what to do about it is the debate.  Anyway.  That’s for the pol board. 

[UndertheHalo]

1 hour ago, Lou said:

Where exactly are the San Bernardino facilities?

I don’t know man.  They have the stadium and the parking lot.  I presume they have practice fields or something.  I’m sure they could figure it out if they cared to. 

[AngelStew43]

1 hour ago, Lou said:

Where exactly are the San Bernardino facilities?

In the middle of downtown, off of E Street.  As far as the 66'ers go, there is a seedy motel across from the ballpark that could be purchased and rehabbed for very little investment to use as player housing.  Or, they could build a condo complex on some of the vacant land adjacent to the ballpark. 

[Blarg]

2 hours ago, UndertheHalo said:

I don’t know man.  They have the stadium and the parking lot.  I presume they have practice fields or something.  I’m sure they could figure it out if they cared to. 

The 66ers have no practice fields. The Quakes do. 

[UndertheHalo]

5 minutes ago, Blarg said:

The 66ers have no practice fields. The Quakes do. 

Ah ok.  I’ve been out to the IE stadium once.  If I recall it seemed like they had a decently sized area.  Parking and stadium.  Of course I don’t know what all they do and don’t own. 

Edited February 23, 2022 by UndertheHalo

[jsnpritchett]

[AngelsLakersFan]

5 hours ago, Lou said:

Yes.

I kind of hate how you are intellectually consistent.

[AngelsLakersFan]

6 hours ago, Taylor said:

MT, I feel like this is kind of a callous attitude about the situation. Do you honestly think the solution is simply for unhappy minor leaguers to find another job? This is a career they've been working toward their entire lives. Even if the never make the big leagues, is it unreasonable to expect their employers to pay them a living wage?

The thing that bugs me is that the MLB teams don't care if these guys quit because there is always another guy willing to take his place. Look how well the Cardinals fared when Albert Pujols left, do you think the Angels took a hard look in the mirror after Ty Buttrey called it quits? If a A+ player four years into his career made the same call the team might not even realize. 50% of pro players could walk away and if it happened over a long enough time frame we may not even know. With little link between being competitive and teams being financially successful there is no reason for them to care.

[Docwaukee]

I have a hard time believing that the current level of investment is providing maximum yield to major league teams.  

So putting aside what amounts to exploiting a loophole in labor law (or at least that's what it seems), it just seems obvious to me that a fairly minimal addition of capital to improve and standardize living conditions, training/recovery, nutrition and maybe even some semblance of education would improve outcomes and create greater success in terms of the minors impact on the majors.  

the economic model just doesn't make a ton of sense to me.  As much for the 1st rounder who you drop a mil on vs for the 20th rounder who you might offer a plane ticket.  My guess is that 18 year olds with a couple mil in their pocket aren't any more likely to have good training habits than the 18 year old chasing a pipe dream. 

There has to be some value in creating some level of consistency.  In providing at least some level of control over the maturation process of these kids. 

I don't know.  It just seems like a missed opportunity to me.    

[AngelsLakersFan]

38 minutes ago, Dochalo said:

I have a hard time believing that the current level of investment is providing maximum yield to major league teams.  

So putting aside what amounts to exploiting a loophole in labor law (or at least that's what it seems), it just seems obvious to me that a fairly minimal addition of capital to improve and standardize living conditions, training/recovery, nutrition and maybe even some semblance of education would improve outcomes and create greater success in terms of the minors impact on the majors.  

the economic model just doesn't make a ton of sense to me.  As much for the 1st rounder who you drop a mil on vs for the 20th rounder who you might offer a plane ticket.  My guess is that 18 year olds with a couple mil in their pocket aren't any more likely to have good training habits than the 18 year old chasing a pipe dream. 

There has to be some value in creating some level of consistency.  In providing at least some level of control over the maturation process of these kids. 

I don't know.  It just seems like a missed opportunity to me.    

But where is the motivation for most of these teams? You have your high draft picks locked in and invested in. You have $200 mill in your pocket before you sell your first ticket. You have talented major league players available at league minimum every off season. How many more Jared Walsh's are really out there, and is there any real benefit for teams that invest it finding them?

[Lou]

2 hours ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

I kind of hate how you are intellectually consistent.

Thank you? 

[Lou]

2 hours ago, AngelsLakersFan said:

The thing that bugs me is that the MLB teams don't care if these guys quit because there is always another guy willing to take his place. Look how well the Cardinals fared when Albert Pujols left, do you think the Angels took a hard look in the mirror after Ty Buttrey called it quits? If a A+ player four years into his career made the same call the team might not even realize. 50% of pro players could walk away and if it happened over a long enough time frame we may not even know. With little link between being competitive and teams being financially successful there is no reason for them to care.

Almost every employee in every industry is replaceable.  I'm not going to get upset over minor leaguers getting cut just because I enjoy watching major league baseball.