MLB Announces League-Wide Initiative to Pay Minor League Players Through Coronavirus Crisis

Major League Baseball is facing a conundrum while the sporting world is shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Though the NBA and NHL made the difficult decision to suspend their in-progress seasons, the 2020 MLB campaign was felled before it even started. With operations suspended until further notice, that meant that minor league players, who already receive minimal pay, would be without a paycheck for large chunks of time that were supposed to be their highest earning months.

On Thursday, MLB announced that they have created a league-wide initiative to pay minor league players throughout the coronavirus crisis. Between now and the scheduled start of the minor league season, players will be paid in full, and the league will reconvene on April 8 to determine collective next steps.

"Each player who is under a Minor League Uniform Player Contract will receive a lump sum equal to the allowances that would have been paid through April 8," the official statement says. "The exceptions to this plan are non-40-man roster players who are already receiving Major League allowances; players who are currently receiving housing, food or other services from Clubs; and player who are no participating in, or expected to participate in, Minor League Spring Training.

This is a major step in the right direction for the game of baseball.

We've already heard horror stories of minor league players' experiences in Spring Training this past year, where they had to pay their way to play preseason ball, despite their dismal earnings. Now, the league will ensure these players don't have to worry about cutting costs in order to feed themselves.

How long will minor leaguers be out of work? With the CDC recommending we avoid gatherings of over 50 people through at least mid-May, this won't be the last time MLB will have to address and tweak these guidelines.

Now that this dilemma is solved for now, we'll have to work together and try to put a stop to the spread of the coronavirus. Social distancing and staying at home is the best option for everyone. The more people practice this, the quicker this pandemic will end, and then we can get back to our everyday lives.