Source: David Price asked Dodgers not to publicize $1,000 donation to minor leaguers
With Minor League Baseball in danger and hundreds of players being released or being stripped of their pay during the coronavirus pandemic, a few big league teams are stepping up.
And some big league players.
Former Red Sox pitcher David Price, who was traded to the Dodgers in February along with Mookie Betts in exchange for a trio of prospects, has donated $1,000 each to more than 200 minor leaguers in the Dodgers organization, an industry source confirmed on Friday. News was first reported by baseball writer Francys Romero.
Price asked the Dodgers not to publicize the news and the team honored his request, but one of the happy recipients is thought to have leaked it, the source said.
Times have been tough for minor leaguers, who are only paid during the five-month minor league season and aren’t required to make minimum wage, per an exemption in the law. It’s a rule that’s been under scrutiny of late, and while teams are looking at paying minor leaguers more in the future, dozens of minor league teams are expected to fold in the process.
Currently, MLB teams can release minor leaguers or choose to pay them nothing while keeping them under contract. The Oakland A’s announced they’d stop paying minor leaguers their $400 per week stipend at the end of May.
The Dodgers, however, committed to paying their minor leaguers $400 per week through the end of June. That comes out to a yearly salary of just north of $20,000, though again, minor leaguers are only paid during the season.
Price’s donation is similar to the one made by Rangers outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who committed $1,000 to each of the Rangers’ minor leaguers early in the pandemic.
Price is the fifth-highest paid pitcher in baseball history after landing a seven-year, $217-million contract with the Red Sox before the 2016 season.
The Red Sox have not responded to multiple requests to comment about how they’re handling their minor league players.
Friday afternoon, the Sox released 22 of them, including Nick Lovullo, son of big league manager Torey Lovullo, though the Globe reported that the Sox would continue paying the rest of their minor leaguers $400 per week.
Other teams, such as the Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins, have committed to keeping all of their minor leaguers on the payroll through the end of the year.
In a conference call with local media members today, Royals GM Dayton Moore said this about the club's decision to stand by their minor league players: pic.twitter.com/8ZfWWx95Jh
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) May 29, 2020
from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2M8z4Nb
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