The Houston Astros are taking a major step in regards to the treatment and salary of Minor League players. According to The Athletic, the organization has decided to provide housing for all players across their Minor League system. This move is expected to propel a series of teams following suit in a valiant effort to find a way to help provide for the small salary the players receive before reaching the big leagues.
The conversation about the lack of payment for the minor leaguers has been a hot topic as of late. After COVID-19 forced the minor leagues to be canceled across the country in 2020, there were a lot of discussions on how to proceed. Major League Baseball had to cut 40 affiliates, mostly due to budget reasons and profit loss from the loss of an entire season.
However, they did raise salaries across the system. Rookie-level players start at $400 per week and Triple-A players receive $700 per week. Keep in mind, that's after the MLB increased the salaries.
For the Astros, this is step one in what should hopefully become a leaguewide movement as far as teams implementing such protocols to help out their players in the minor league systems. Some clubs already offer a small stipend for housing, although it's nowhere near enough to cover the monthly cost.
In the past, there have been stories of multiple players cramming into a one-bedroom apartment to save money and make ends meet, which shouldn't be the case. For the extreme income the Major League teams receive and shell out to their players on the starting roster, there should be a way to provide for those in the Minors.
Hopefully, this is the beginning of a big movement that should propel teams to help take care of the players in their system who are grooming to become Major League talent.
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