MLB, MLBPA Reach Agreement On Minor League CBA
April 3: The owners voted 30-0 in favor of the CBA and it is now official, per Passan.
March 31: The MLBPA announced that minor league players have ratified their new CBA with a vote of more than 99% in favor. The final step in making the agreement official is owner approval. Drellich tweets that could come as soon as Monday.
March 29: Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association have tentatively reached a deal on a five-year collective bargaining agreement covering minor league players, as first reported by Evan Drellich of the Athletic. The deal has been approved by both union leadership and the league office, according to Drellich and Jeff Passan of ESPN (Twitter link). Official ratification is still pending approval from the full player body and the league’s ownership groups, though that’s largely a formality.
For the first time, players will be paid outside of the season. Passan notes that payment is nearly year-round, with a six-week gap during the winter. He provides specifics on the agreed upon minimum salaries (on Twitter):
- Complex leagues: $19,800 annually (up from $4,800)
- Low-A: $26,200 (up from $11,000)
- High-A: $27,300 (up from $11,000)
- Double-A: $30,250 (up from $13,800)
- Triple-A: $35,800 (up from $17,500)
Players will be paid during minor league Spring Training, with retroactive payments for this year’s exhibition play. Ronald Blum of the Associated Press reports the minimum salary is $625 per week for Spring Training work.
According to Drellich, the deal will contain medical and pension provisions and a 401(k) plan for players, as well as grievance procedures with the possibility of hearings in front of neutral arbitrators. Drellich also reports that the deal won’t involve the culling of any minor league teams for at least the next five years. However, Passan reports that the Domestic Reserve List — the maximum number of players per organization outside of Latin America during a season — will be reduced from 180 to 165, taking effect in the 2024 season.
Trimming the minor league roster size was a goal of MLB’s during last year’s major league collective bargaining talks; the union rejected the league’s proposals on that front during the lockout, but MLB was able to achieve that to some extent during these talks. The league had wanted the number below 150 players during last year’s negotiations. They don’t get that far under this agreement but have managed to reduce organizational roster sizes a bit.
Drellich reports one notable development for older signees (Twitter link). Players who sign with a club at age 19 or older will now be eligible for minor league free agency after parts of six seasons in the minors if they’re not added to the 40-man roster. Previously, all minor leaguers had to appear in parts of seven seasons before they could qualify for free agency.
That seven-year mark will still be in place for younger signees — primarily high school draftees and international amateurs — but will force teams to make a quicker decision on most players drafted out of college or who signed later than usual in the international market. Notably, that will only apply to players who enter pro ball from here forward; it is not retroactive.
Drellich reports a number of additional details as part of a piece that’s worth reading in full for those interested in the subject. Among the developments: adjustments to the housing program for players, a committee for feedback on rule changes which MLB tests in the minor leagues, and the creation of a joint drug agreement and domestic violence policy.
Minor league players voted to unionize last September. Their bargaining group was under the MLBPA umbrella, setting the stage for the Players Association and MLB to work on the first minor league CBA in history. Voting will be conducted amongst players on Thursday, with the agreement expected to be completed on Friday — the first days of the minor league season.
Games would have gone on even if a CBA hadn’t been agreed upon. The players had no attention of going on strike, nor was the league going to lock them out. Play would have continued under the previous conditions while the sides continued to negotiate. Nevertheless, the appeal of getting a deal done before the season starts is obvious. Players negotiate a significant bump in minimum salaries and other employment benefits. MLB had been backing legislation to exempt minor leaguers from state minimum wage protections in Florida. That’ll presumably no longer be a concern.
Coincidentally, there was a development on the non-CBA front regarding minor league pay earlier on Wednesday. A federal judge approved the $185MM settlement to which the league and a group of players had agreed to settle a class action lawsuit last June, as Drellich reported (Twitter link). Barring any appeals, that settlement can begin to be distributed to players 30 days from now.
Offseason In Review Chat: Boston Red Sox
MLBTR has been hosting team-specific chats in conjunction with each entry of our Offseason In Review series. On Friday, we released the Red Sox entry in the series. Today, we held a Red Sox-focused chat. Click here to read the transcript.
Mets Release Darin Ruf
The Mets have released infielder/outfielder Darin Ruf, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment a week ago when the club selected Tommy Hunter to the roster.
Ruf, 36, came over to the Mets in a deadline deal last year. Unfortunately, that deal went south fairly quickly, as he hit just .152/.216/.197 in 29 games with the club down the stretch. He stuck on the roster all winter but then his struggles continued into the spring, as he hit just .167/.265/.233 in Grapefruit League action. The club had added Tommy Pham over the winter to help take over Ruf’s role as a right-handed hitting role player and Ruf was cut from the roster prior to Opening Day.
Ruf will now be free to sign with any of the other 29 clubs around the league. Despite his recent struggles, he should garner some interest based on his past work. After a successful three-year stretch in Korea from 2017 to 2019, Ruf returned to North America and hit very well with the Giants. In 2020 and 2021, he hit .272/.381/.519 for a wRC+ of 142. That latter figure was one of the 15 best in the majors in that time period, among hitters with at least 400 plate appearances.
Based on that excellent showing, the Giants signed him to an extension going into 2022. The two-year deal paid him $3MM in each of 2022 and 2023, with a $3.5MM option for 2024 that comes with a $250K buyout. The club struggled last year and flipped Ruf to the Mets in a deal that now looks awful for the latter club. They sent infielder J.D. Davis, left-hander Thomas Szapucki and a couple of prospects to San Francisco, only to see Ruf slump badly for a few months before now getting sent away for nothing.
The Mets have had the past week to try to work out a trade for Ruf or get him claimed on waivers, but a release always seemed the most likely path forward. He’s still owed the $3MM salary for this year and $250K buyout on next year’s option. Any acquiring team would have been responsible for that money, and it’s unsurprising none of them were willing to do so with Ruf’s recent performance. The Mets will remain on the hook for that, allowing any other club to add Ruf for the prorated league minimum for any time spent on their roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Mets pay.
Ruf’s aforementioned strong run in 2020 and 2021 should intrigue some clubs. He also wasn’t bad prior to the trade last year, hitting .216/.328/.373 for a wRC+ of 104. He also might interest teams that are especially concerned about their production against lefties, as that is Ruf’s specialty. He has a career .272/.367/.523 batting line against southpaws for a wRC+ of 143, compared to a .216/.300/.365 line and 86 wRC+ against righties. Even amid last year’s struggles, he still hit .222/.322/.430 with the platoon advantage for a wRC+ of 116.
The Opener: Reynolds, Bumgarner, Ruf
With the calendar having now flipped to April, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Will Reynolds, Pirates starting contest reach a conclusion?
The Pirates and star outfielder Bryan Reynolds reportedly have terms mostly agreed upon for an eight year, $106MM extension. Talks have been held up, however, by the two camps being unable to agree on the presence of an opt-out in the deal. The Reynolds camp is insisting upon an opt-out following the 2026 season, which the Pirates don’t appear willing to offer. An opt-out after 2026 would only provide the Pirates with a single additional year of team control, though Reynolds apparently is willing to agree to the deal being heavily backloaded so most of the money is paid out after the opt-out opportunity. Yesterday, it was reported that the sides “haven’t heard anything” from each other in recent days. Reynolds, a career 126 wRC+ hitter entering his age-28 season, is one of the league’s premiere players and is currently slated to reach free agency after 2025, his age-30 season.
2. MadBum to undergo testing:
Veteran lefty Madison Bumgarner struggled in his first start of the season over the weekend, allowing five runs over four innings of work against the Dodgers. Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo told reporters, including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, that Bumgarner went back to Arizona to undergo testing following his start due to what was labeled “arm fatigue”. Bumgarner was once among the best starters in the league during his tenure with the Giants, but since signing his five-year, $85MM deal with the Diamondbacks, he has struggled to a 5.06 ERA in 350 2/3 innings of work. Naturally, if Bumgarner is to right the ship in his age-33 season, he’ll surely need health on his side to do so, underscoring the importance of today’s testing.
3. What will become of Ruf?
Last week, the Mets designated right-handed slugger Darin Ruf for assignment. With that DFA set to come due, it’s likely we’ll have news regarding Ruf’s status sometime today. Ruf is owed $3MM for the 2023 season and a $250K buyout on his 2024 team option. Should they be unable to work out a trade for Ruf with one of the other 29 clubs in the league, the Mets will be on the hook for that salary even if he rejects an outright assignment to Triple-A, as Ruf has more than five years of service time. The 36-year-old Ruf struggled badly in 2022 to a wRC+ of just 89, though he would certainly have value to any club if he was able to recreate his 2020-2021 seasons with the Giants, where he slashed .272/.381/.519 for a wRC+ of 142, and even his career .239/.329/.432 (110 wRC+) slash line would be of value to most clubs.
Latest On Bryce Harper
During tonight’s Phillies/Rangers matchup on ESPN, Bryce Harper and Phillies manager Rob Thomson shared some positive updates about Harper’s recovery from Tommy John surgery in November. (Hat tip to Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia.) Thomson said Harper is likely to hit on the field at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday, prior to the Phils’ home opener against the Reds. Harper has already been doing his usual slate of batting cage work for roughly 10 days.
No update was given on Harper’s timeline, as the former MVP said he is “just trying to get my rehab going as best as possible,” and “just trying to take it each day, make sure I hit every checkpoint.”
“[I’ve] still got a minute to go. Just trying to be smart about it, understanding my good days are going to be good and some days I’ll just be sore and it’ll be a little tougher. But I feel good right now, just got to keep that going and keep doing the same stuff.”
Once Harper does his on-field work, Thomson laid out the gameplan of live batting practice and then progressing to minor league rehab games. While there’s certainly a lot to like about Harper’s progress, these next steps won’t be completed quickly, particularly since Harper both has to recover physically and fully ramp up for the season after missing all of Spring Training. The Phillies initially suggested that Harper would be back by roughly the All-Star break in a DH capacity, and he might return to right field later in the season if all was well with his throwing arm.
However, tonight’s update might be the latest hint that Harper could be activated from the injured list before that July target — for instance, the Phils only placed him on the 10-day version of the IL prior to the season, not the 60-day IL that would normally come with a longer-term injury. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski did suggest that a 60-day placement (which would be backdated to Harper’s initial placement on the 10-day IL on March 30) might still occur if Philadelphia needs to create a 40-man roster spot, but it would seem like the Phillies didn’t want to entirely rule out Harper’s return within the first 60 days of the regular season.
MLBTR Chat Transcript
Click here to read the transcript of tonight’s live baseball chat
Rockies Notes: Profar, Bard, Hollowell
Jurickson Profar made his Rockies debut in today’s 3-1 loss to the Padres, and as fate would have it, Profar’s first game with his new team happened to be against his former team. Playing with the Padres “was everything to me,” Profar told Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and seemed to express some regret over opting out of his $7.5MM player option to stay with the Padres in 2023. “If I was a normal free agent, not opting out, it’s different. Opting out and free agency taking that long, I always wanted to stay….I didn’t want to (opt out), but I did,” Profar said.
The entry into free agency took a long time to resolve, as Profar didn’t reach an agreement with Colorado until March 19 on a one-year, $7.75MM deal. Rockies hitting coach Hensley Meulens was a key recruiter in the process, as Meulens has been a longtime mentor to Profar dating back to the earliest days of his baseball career in Curacao, and Meulens managed Profar as part of the Netherlands’ team in the World Baseball Classic. Profar is looking forward to now joining Meulens in the majors, and getting off a fresh start with his new organization.
More from the Mile High City, as the Rockies are 2-2 following their split of the season-opening series with the Padres…
- Manager Bud Black told media (including MLB.com) that Daniel Bard threw a bullpen on Saturday, and hit 96mph during the session. It’s a positive sign for the veteran reliever, who began the 2023 campaign on the 15-day injured list due to a return of the anxiety issues that put Bard’s career on hold for several seasons. There isn’t yet any timetable for Bard’s return, as naturally the Rockies will give him all the time he needs.
- The Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes placed Gavin Hollowell on the 10-day minor league IL today, and Danielle Allentuck of the Denver Gazette (Twitter link) reports that the right-hander is dealing with forearm tightness. While the severity of the injury isn’t yet known, any sort of forearm issue is naturally troubling for a pitcher, and it adds to a tough week of news for Hollowell — Allentuck notes that he just missed out on a spot in Colorado’s Opening Day bullpen. A sixth-round pick for the Rockies in the 2019 draft, Hollowell made his MLB debut last season, posting a 7.71 ERA in seven innings over six appearances. MLB Pipeline ranks Hollowell as the 24th-best prospect in the Rockies’ farm system, and feels the 6’7″ reliever’s strikeout potential gives him promise, though his control is a work in progress.
Astros Hire Jeff Bagwell For Senior Advisor Role
The Astros named Jeff Bagwell to a new position as a senior advisor to ownership and baseball operations, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart writes. The new title essentially makes official Bagwell’s increased influence within the organization, as he had already been working as a special assistant within the baseball ops department.
Bagwell told McTaggart that his new role doesn’t come with many new duties, so the Hall-of-Famer will continue to work in a broad capacity, ranging from meeting with Major League and minor league players to offering advice to owner Jim Crane to even acting as a recruiter for the team. (Bagwell joined bench coach Joe Espada and assistant GM Bill Firkus on a trip to Miami to help land Jose Abreu in free agency this past offseason.)
“All I’m trying to do is help the organization be the best it could possibly be, so there’s no such thing as a window [of contention] here and we just continue to maintain winning,” Bagwell said. “Part of that is the big league stuff, making sure we get the right players that fit our organization and what we do — great pitching, great defense and we don’t strike out. Taking that and bringing it all the way down to the minor league system.”
Though all teams have front office advisors in some capacity, the exact nature of the job varies greatly from team to team, or person to person. It is common for former players and franchise legends to appear in these roles, in part to create a past link to team history, and also naturally because there is plenty to be learned from players like Bagwell who have achieved such great heights on the field.
In the Astros’ case, however, Bagwell’s role has come under some scrutiny, as his more old-school approach seemed to clash with the philosophy of former GM James Click. Even though the Astros continued to win during Click’s three years as general manager and even captured the World Series last fall, rumors swirled for months that the Astros would be parting ways with Click after the season, championships notwithstanding. Crane only offered Click a one-year contract extension in November, which Click understandably declined in order to leave the organization (Click later joined the Blue Jays in the role of VP of baseball strategy).
Despite the Astros’ success, Bagwell said last November that he felt the team had become too reliant on analytics. “There are so many things about this game the numbers can’t tell you. The type of person, what he means in our clubhouse, his desire, how he goes about his business,” Bagwell said. “Those are the intangible things I can see when I talk to somebody more than just the numbers. This game is played by humans, man, it’s not played by computers.”
It certainly seemed as though Crane agreed with Bagwell’s stance, and the hiring of Dana Brown (who has a long background as a crosschecker and scout, in addition to his prior role as the Braves’ VP of scouting) as Houston’s new general manager seems to reflect the Astros’ turn towards a more traditional approach. In the larger picture, past reports suggested that Crane took a more personal role within baseball operations in the wake of the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal under past GM Jeff Luhnow, thus allowing for ownership advisors like Bagwell and another legendary name in Reggie Jackson to have more of a voice in the front office.
NL Central Notes: Reynolds, Williams, Senzel, Santillan
Even with three games already in the books on the Pirates‘ 2023 season, Bryan Reynolds‘ contract status is still the biggest story in Pittsburgh baseball, given the reports from earlier this week suggesting the two sides had made a lot of progress towards an extension. The deal in question appears to be an eight-year, $106MM pact, yet the sticking point appears to be the Pirates’ reluctance to include an opt-out clause for Reynolds following the 2026 season.
It isn’t clear if anything has changed in talks, as Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter links) hears from both sides that, essentially, they “haven’t heard anything” about any further progress. Mackey notes that GM Ben Cherington didn’t mention anything about Reynolds or the contract talks during his weekly radio show today, though naturally it would’ve been a little surprising to hear an executive make any significant public comment on contract negotiations that (apparently) are still ongoing. Opening Day was reportedly viewed as a deadline to get an extension finalized, and while that deadline was completely unofficial, it begs the question or whether or not Reynolds and the Bucs can solve the impasse soon or if the matter might be tabled until the offseason…..or, if Reynolds might be traded elsewhere before the deadline.
More NL Central items….
- Devin Williams was hit in the arm by a Dansby Swanson line drive during the ninth inning of yesterday’s game, though Williams remained on the mound to close out the Brewers‘ 3-1 win over the Cubs. Williams told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that the liner “glanced off” his right elbow and “it didn’t feel too good,” leading to a bit of lingering soreness today. While the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, Williams and manager Craig Counsell said that the reliever’s availability for today’s game wouldn’t be known until Williams did some pregame warmups. [UPDATE: Williams didn’t pitch in Milwaukee’s 9-5 win over Chicago, but Counsell said the reliever was available if called upon.]
- Nick Senzel and Tony Santillan are slated to begin rehab assignments at Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday, Reds manager David Bell told reporters (including Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer). Both were hampered by injuries that pushed back their Spring Training work, as Senzel underwent toe surgery during the offseason and Santillan was still recovering from a lower back issue that plagued him during the 2022 campaign. Barring any setbacks, however, Senzel and Santillan appear to be on pace to join the Reds by around the middle of April, with Senzel perhaps moving into a utility role and Santillan stepping back into Cincinnati’s bullpen.
Pirates Claim Edwin Uceta, Transfer JT Brubaker To 60-Day IL
The Pirates announced this afternoon that they have claimed right-hander Edwin Uceta off waivers from the Tigers. Detroit had designated Uceta for assignment ahead of Opening Day alongside Rony Garcia, who was outrighted to Triple-A, in order to make room for Chasen Shreve and Trey Wingenter on the 40-man roster. In a corresponding move, right-hander JT Brubaker was transferred to the 60-day injured list. Uceta has been optioned to Triple-A.
Brubaker had previously been placed on the 15-day IL to open the season due to what the Pirates termed as “elbow discomfort”. No timetable was given for Brubaker’s return, but given his transfer to the 60-day IL, it’s safe to say he won’t return until at least June. Though Brubaker has been part of the Pirates rotation since the shortened 2020 season with an unimpressive career ERA of 4.99, there was reason for optimism headed into 2023, as his 2022 season featured solid peripherals that indicated he could be a quality starter going forward: despite a 4.69 ERA, he had a solid 3.92 FIP along with a 44% groundball rate, a 22.8% strikeout rate, and a 8.4% walk rate that all paint him as a roughly league average starter for the 2022 campaign. With Brubaker set to miss an extended period of time, Johan Oviedo, who the Pirates acquired from the Cardinals in last summer’s Jose Quintana deal, figures to have a more secure hold on a rotation spot.
As for Uceta, the 25 year-old right-hander has seen big league action in each of the past two seasons, but has struggled in a small sample both times. Between his time with the Dodgers in 2022 and the Diamondbacks in 2022, Uceta has posted a 6.27 ERA in 37 1/3 innings, though his 4.46 FIP indicates there may be some bad luck baked into those results. The Tigers claimed him on waivers this offseason before designating him for assignment after he posted a 4.91 ERA in camp, though he did strike out 29.2% of batters faced during his 11 innings of work this spring. Uceta has demonstrated the ability to work in either short relief or multi-inning long relief during his career and figures to serve as depth for the Pirates bullpen in Triple-A.