Proposed Roster Changes Would Be Yet Another Blow For Minor Leaguers

After an offseason full of rumors of drastic changes to the game, it looks like one is coming to fruition. According to the Associated Press, Major League Baseball and the players’ union (MLBPA) are nearing a deal that would expand the roster to 26 players. As a trade-off, each team would be limited to just two additional September call-ups rather than having access to their full 40-man roster. While purists may scoff at changing the roster size, it wouldn ?t be the first time it has happened.

The 25-man roster was first established over 100 years ago, but that number hasn ?t been set in stone. The most notable change was the collusion era in the late 80s, where some clubs ran 24 man teams. Roster sizes were decreased during World War I, went back to 25 afterwards, and then slashed again during the Great Depression and World War II. However, starting in 1931, those roster cuts only applied from mid-May through August. For the first and final month, teams expanded rosters to give younger players a chance against major leaguers. The early tryout period was done away with in 1968, but September call-ups have been a staple ever since.

Hundreds of players get a chance at the majors because of expanded rosters. This includes people who were recalled from AAA, had their contract selected to the 40-man and then promoted, and waiver wire claims in the month of September. But September baseball isn ?t always the best product. More players means more substitutions, meaning longer games. Pace of play is already an issue, so it ?s easy to see why Commissioner Rob Manfred would want to cut September rosters. As for the players, they are creating 30 more guaranteed jobs, but at what cost?

There are 172 days in a year of service time. If they ?re on the roster for 173 days or more, it counts as 172. Assuming each team will promote their two extra players at the beginning of September, then teams will be adding 232 extra days of service time compared to if they just ran a 25 man roster the entire year. (This number could increase a couple days if the season went into October or decrease if it ended in September.) Last year, there were 6,247 service days accrued by a total of 241 players who were on a major league roster because of the expanded rosters. That averages out to 8 call-ups and 208.2 days of MLB service time per team. Here ?s how that September service time was distributed:

Under this proposal, each team could add an average about three and half weeks of service time for players. The margins are thin, but this seems like a win for the MLBPA. It does come at the cost of the minor leaguer, though. There may be 24 more days more service time created, but the average number of call-ups goes from eight players to two.

In case you haven ?t heard, minor league players are being screwed. Major League Baseball lobbied the ?Save America ?s Pastime Act ? into law last year, exempting players from minimum wage laws. Baseball has written another law to exploit Arizona labor further, too. It ?s nearly impossible to live off of this money without a large nest egg signing bonus. Some don ?t get a paycheck at all. Former minor leaguer Jeremy Wolf played six days a week for three and a half months for the St. Louis Cardinals, but since he was never ?officially ? on a roster, they didn ?t need to pay him. They didn’t.

Unfortunately, it looks like things are going to keep getting worse for minor leaguers before they get better. A union would help the players, but it ?s unlikely one will ever be established. Said Marvin Miller in a 2012 interview for Slate:

?The appeal of unionizing every pro baseball player, though, was always outweighed by a lack of resources, the geographic decentralization of the minors, and the dreamy idealism of the players. The notion that these very young, inexperienced people were going to defy the owners, when they had stars in their eyes about making it to the Major Leagues ? it ?s just not going to happen. ?

Minor league life is hard and unfair, which makes spending just a day in the majors even more valuable. In 2017, the Pirates were in Miami and needed an emergency catcher at the last minute. AAA Indianapolis was too far away to get a player to the stadium in time, so they promoted a backstop from A-ball Bradenton named John Bormann instead. Bormann struck out in the blowout loss and was promptly demoted, but it was worth the trip. By playing in a game, he and his family have access to the union’s healthcare plan.

For a September story, there ?s Guilder Rodriguez. The 31 year old father of two played over 1,000 games in the minors before finally being promoted in 2014. It ?s a great story, and he ?s not the only minor league lifer who was rewarded with a big league cameo to get health insurance or into the pension plan, but that opportunity only exists because teams have plenty of ?use ?em or lose ?em ? roster spots to fill. If this proposal was in effect, Rodriguez would have stayed in the minors.

Then there is Pablo Reyes. Few were talking about him before he reached the majors, but he turned some heads last September with his play and hustle. The Pirates have plenty of young middle infield prospects, and he wasn ?t on the 40-man until his promotion, so he easily could have been lost in the shuffle. If the Pirates were only permitted to promote two guys in the final month last year, he probably wouldn ?t have been selected. Instead, he got a chance and his career — and the Pirates — are better for it. Reyes should be the poster child for why September call-ups matter.

The MLBPA could help minor leaguers now, though they are not obligated to do so. They have a history of letting the MLB do its bidding to the farm systems, and it ?s unlikely union president Tony Clark would stand up to Manfred on this when there are so many pressing issues for major leaguers. If they won ?t help, the least they could do is not make the situation worse.

This roster proposal would make life a little better for young major leaguers and older veterans. That’s good, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of minor leaguers. Many young players are already chasing a carrot on a stick that they ?ll never reach, but keep going because they know even a nibble could make it all worth it. This roster proposal will make it even harder to get that bite.