MLB outlined a plan last November that will provide more than 90% of Minor League players with furnished housing accommodations at each Major League club’s expense for the 2022 season.
After reviewing the details of the policy, Advocates for Minor Leaguers has determined that it falls short of expectations. In a statement, the advocacy group criticized MLB for not consulting with the players on the specifics of the plan.
Advocates for Minor Leaguers believes the policy “presents MLB teams the opportunity to cut costs rather than providing proper housing in any of three ways.”
The league’s plan calls for two players to share a bedroom, which the player-steering committee took exception to as they feel each Minor Leaguer deserves the privacy of his own room.
Advocates for Minor Leaguers also criticized MLB for refusing to accommodate the needs of players with spouses and children. The group believes players with families should be accommodated and not be asked to share bedrooms with their teammates.
Finally, Advocates for Minor Leaguers is against MLB using host families or hotel rooms as a substitute for adequate housing, opining that every big league team should have no problem finding 30 apartments in each of its Minor League cities.
Advocates for Minor Leaguers believes every player should have the right to opt out of team-provided housing and instead receive a housing stipend or reimbursement.
“As we move into the 2022 season, we call on Major League Baseball to update its stipend and reimbursement policy and to close these three loopholes,” Advocates for Minor Leaguers said in a statement. “Only by doing so can MLB make good on its commitment to solve the Minor League housing crisis once and for all.
“Absent an amendment to the policy, we intend to publicly identify MLB teams that fail to provide adequate housing accommodations to each of their Minor League players during the 2022 season.”
Minor League Spring Training still on track for February
Because Minor League players aren’t affected by the MLB lockout, they will report to Spring Training on time next month. MLB players, on the other hand, could be delayed if a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) isn’t in place by Feb. 1.
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