Hofstra Law Review
Abstract
This article focuses on the historic ratification and ongoing challenges of the first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) for Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players, signed in 2023, over fifty years after Major League Baseball (MLB) players first secured a CBA. It outlines the long-standing disparities between MiLB and MLB players, including delayed unionization, inadequate salaries, poor housing, limited health benefits, and restricted player mobility under the reserve clause. The article highlights key events leading to the CBA, such as the Senne lawsuit addressing wage violations and the controversial Save America’s Pastime Act, which exempted MiLB players from minimum wage laws. While the 2023 CBA introduced significant improvements in compensation, health benefits, housing, transportation, and player rights, it also left unresolved issues like insufficient offseason pay, underrepresentation of minor leaguers within the MLB Players Association, and inadequate Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) protections. The article concludes by emphasizing the need for continued reforms, including salary adjustments tied to cost of living, enhanced union representation, standardized living conditions, expanded retirement and post-career support, and stronger NIL guidance to ensure fair treatment and sustainable careers for minor league players.
Recommended Citation
McGuinness, Garrett Q.
(2025)
"Minor League Baseball Players' Ascendance from "Seasonal Apprentices" to Full-Time Baseball Players,"
Hofstra Law Review: Vol. 54:
Iss.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://scholarlycommons.law.hofstra.edu/hlr/vol54/iss1/7