PITTSBURGH — In mid-October, reports surfaced that MLB planned to foot the bill for all minor league housing. The news then was met with wide applause, as the plight of minor league ball players has been well-documented and maligned.
Now, the news is official. On Thursday, general managers, assistant general managers and farm directors received a memo outlining the new details of that aforementioned policy, according to Baseball America's Josh Norris.
Most newsworthy is that minor leaguers will no longer be permitted to sign leases of any kind. Instead, the organization will sign the leases and allow the minor league players to live in the housing unit.
Additionally, clubs will be required to pay utilities for the housing, such as electric, water and Wi-Fi.
The new rules do not apply to players making more than $20,000 per month or those on major league contracts.
"The Pirates fully support the new minor league housing policy, set forth by Major League Baseball today, as the organization has long been on the forefront of this initiative," general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement Thursday. "Whether it is the housing facilities provided to our players at Pirate City in Bradenton, our newly expanded facilities in the Dominican Republic, or the affordable options that have been provided to players at other levels, this has long been a priority under Bob Nutting's leadership."
As Cherington said, the Pirates already did a solid job of providing housing for their players, with Class AA Altoona players, for example, staying in a complex called PennView Suites. Now, however, teams across MLB will be forced to pay for what has long been a stressful part of the minor leagues.
