Of the multitude of issues plaguing baseball right now, the deplorable conditions minor leaguers (who remain woefully underpaid) face on a daily basis is arguably the most concerning. The Oakland A’s caught flak earlier this year for serving their players unappetizing meals (eliciting unflattering comparisons to Ja Rule’s disastrous Fyre Festival) and now the Orioles find themselves in similar hot water.
Per Twitter account Advocates for Minor Leaguers, Bowie Baysox players (Baltimore’s Double-A affiliate) had considered sleeping in their cars instead of staying in the team hotel, which would have swallowed up roughly 80 percent of players’ paychecks after taxes ($900 for a two-week homestand). This news came on the heels of Bowie’s announcement that as of 11 AM Wednesday morning, players would “be on their own” for living arrangements.
The situation was reportedly resolved hours later with players ultimately choosing to stay at the team hotel for about 40 percent of their homestand paycheck. Hearing of this predicament, a number of fans reached out on Twitter, offering to serve as host families for players struggling to make ends meet.
While Francisco Lindor (recent recipient of a $341-million extension from the Mets) and players of similar stature are financially set for life, minor leaguers continue to slum it in pursuit of their MLB dreams, barely making enough to survive. With some teams not guaranteeing housing for players, many big-league hopefuls find themselves shacking up with teammates, sleeping on flimsy pull-out couches and worn-to-the-bone air mattresses in cramped living spaces.
Advocates for Minor Leaguers notes that the majority of players earn less than $15,000 annually, which would explain why many of them moonlight in other professions during the offseason. The problem doesn’t seem to be going away either with MILB (which scrapped nearly a quarter of its teams in the aftermath of COVID-19) continuing to exploit players as cheap labor.
UPDATE: The Orioles have issued a response, denying any deal was “cut” between players and management Tuesday night. “Players were provided with housing options in early June,” a team source shared with Audacy via email. “All of our players have housing accommodations.”
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