The settlement resolves claims of MILB players and former players of multiple and significant wage and labor violations by MLB with respect to MILB players.
Probably a rounding error to MLB!
A wonderful and compelling result on behalf of MILB players!
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Look up Garrett Broshius - the moving force behind the lawsuit; he went to law school (did very well) because of his experience in MiLB. An example of one motivated guy taking down a powerful industry. (Yes, he had a team, but Garrett was the force behind it all.)
When my son was figuring out whether to opt in to the original lawsuit, I spoke with Garrett AND also had dinner with one of the attorneys repping MLB. After researching and these talks, I urged him to opt in - the money was relatively minor, the principle was major. His agent recommended he opt-out because of MLB retaliation. Showed me how the agents and MLB worked together at the expense of the players the agents supposedly repped.
Garrett and his law firm (imagine carrying that overhead for a decade on a new, untested lawyer's theories) changed an industry and really improved - going forward - MiLB conditions.
Good work, Garrett!
This is great news and kudos to the players who took a stand. It always seemed like a bizarre argument that somehow because baseball was America's pastime it didn't have to follow labor or antitrust laws.
But MLB will definitely use this to try for further MiLB contraction. I wouldn't be surprised if in 5 years High-A is gone and it's just Single-A. They've already laid the groundwork with fewer draft rounds and draft-and-follow.
MILB players have been the pawns in a ruthless MLB business model, in my opinion!
As great as this settlement is for post 2009 minor leaguers, there is a significant population of post 2009 players who are not benefited. There are even more before 2009.
That is the group who were/are injured and get washed out of their dream because of the residuals of the injury.
As great as this settlement is based on wage and hour and working conditions laws, it leaves out those with baseball caused disabilities which end baseball and, for many, impacted their ability to work after baseball abruptly ended! The physical impacts were significant. The emotional elements of losing baseball were and are very real.
MLB, historically, could be awfully cavalier in terms of their legal obligations to some injured and disabled MILB players, in my opinion
Just as a note — this means about $5,000 per player. It doesn't exactly make everything right for any individual.
@auberon posted:This is great news and kudos to the players who took a stand. It always seemed like a bizarre argument that somehow because baseball was America's pastime it didn't have to follow labor or antitrust laws.
But MLB will definitely use this to try for further MiLB contraction. I wouldn't be surprised if in 5 years High-A is gone and it's just Single-A. They've already laid the groundwork with fewer draft rounds and draft-and-follow.
I wonder if that will backfire a little tough, keith law said playing level in mlb got noticeably worse in the last season or two and there really is a level missing between complex level and full season A so that you are seeing a lot of guys that are too advanced for the complex but overwhelmed at full season A ball thus playing bad baseball there and possibly affecting other players at that level.
I'm not sure if that is true but that's what keith law said several times on podcasts.
I think the complex level is great for raw prospects as you can coach them more hands on but I feel for more advanced players having an extra level can help.
