U.S. Senators query MLB antitrust exemption over minor-league pay, contraction

San Francisco Chronicle
By John Shea

Minor-league players for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics could be in line for a better payday.

Momentum is increasing for Congress to challenge baseball’s antitrust exemption, which permits MLB franchises to pay minor leaguers low wages and to own the rights to those players for up to seven years before they can become minor-league free agents or get added to a 40-man MLB roster.

On Tuesday, four members of the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote a letter seeking further information on how the antitrust exemption affects minor leaguers. The two-page letter was sent to Advocates for Minor Leaguers, a nonprofit with a mission to provide a voice for minor leaguers on pay and working conditions.

The letter was signed by the committee chair, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), ranking member Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah)...

“This bipartisan request for information will help inform the committee about the impact of this exemption, especially when it comes to minor-league and international prospects. We need to make sure that all professional ballplayers get to play on a fair and level field.”

In 2018, following years of MLB lobying, Congress passed the Save America’s Pastime Act, which exempts minor-league players from federal labor laws regarding minimum wage. In 2020, MLB subsequently axed 42 minor-league teams.

In March, State Sen. Josh Becker (D-San Mateo) introduced a bill that would seek better wages and labor practices and limit how long teams can own rights to minor leaguers, from seven years to four.

Read more...