Rookie Salaries

[BoilerBC11]

Can someone explain to me how rookie salaries work in the MLB?

I think that all rookies have base salaries until they are eligible for arbitration or FA, but my question is:

How much is this salary?

How long until they are up for arbitration?

When does the arbitration clock start ticking? For example, if we bring homer up this year, does that count as a full year? or how does this work?

Thanks in advance.

[jmcclain19]

This info used to be posted on MiLB.com but now I can only find it in the Google Cache - so they must have updated their page links

Triple-A--First year: $2,150/month, after first year no less than $2,150/month

Class AA-First year: $1,500/month, after first year no less than $1,500/month

Class A (full season)--First year: $1,050/month, after first year no
less than $1,050/month

Class A (short-season)--First year: $850/month, after first year no
less than $850/month

Dominican & Venezuelan Summer Leagues--no lower than $300/month

Meal Money: $20 per day at all levels, while on the road"

Those numbers above are why I don't have any issue whatsoever with draft picks doing everything they can in their power to get as much money as they can with their first contract. They make virtually no money until they crack that big league roster and can start making $380k plus a year.

The rest of your answers can be found in the basic agreement - plow thru it, it's pretty interesting reading. The latest basic agreement hasn't been posted online yet, but here's the basics according to the last one



http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/pdf/cba_english.pdf

[Triples]

I don't have a problem with draft picks getting as much as they can either (its called capitalism) but the system is flawed in a bunch of ways. For example:

1.) they give millions to players who are yet un-proven by any significant measure (easily the most important reason I see). for the life of me, I don't understand why club owners do this. Its insane.
2.) the money they waste on high round failures could go to shoring up the major league roster or,
3.) could be spread out among all the draft picks in some fashion so the players can live a reasonble life style while in the minors. (try living on >$1500-$1900 per month while having to pay for gas, car, car upkeep, rent, insurance, phone bill, clubbie dues ($10/day on the road and $8/day at home) food, etc, etc, etc, and amazingly most of your baseball equipment.
4.) given the hours they have to work, baseball gets away with paying minor league players about 1/5 of minimum wage, no overtime, no holiday pay etc. Illegal aliens have more rights than a minor league baseball player (yes, I know baseball players have a choice to not sign the contract, illegal aliens have a choice too.). And this is done under a collective bargining agreement that the players have neither a voice nor a vote in.
5.) MLB claims they can't pre-set signing bonuses because it would be illegal, yet they hide behind said collective bargining agreement for all the above, like predetermined salaries regardless of a players production, effort, etc.

Enough said.

Originally Posted by jmcclain19

This info used to be posted on MiLB.com but now I can only find it in the Google Cache - so they must have updated their page links



Those numbers above are why I don't have any issue whatsoever with draft picks doing everything they can in their power to get as much money as they can with their first contract. They make virtually no money until they crack that big league roster and can start making $380k plus a year.

The rest of your answers can be found in the basic agreement - plow thru it, it's pretty interesting reading. The latest basic agreement hasn't been posted online yet, but here's the basics according to the last one



http://mlbplayers.mlb.com/pa/pdf/cba_english.pdf

[IslandRed]

The arbitration clock is one of the more misunderstood things I see here.

MLB service time -- as defined by being on the active (25-man) roster or major-league disabled list -- is measured in days. It takes 172 days of service time to equal a "year" for the purposes of arbitration and free agency. That's a very important distinction. Homer Bailey wouldn't get a year towards arbitration just by appearing in a Reds game this year. And the clock stops if the player goes back to the minors. If, hypothetically, Bailey joined the Reds for July, August and September, then spends all of 2008 in the minors (let's hope not), his service time is roughly three months -- not one year and three months.

Arbitration, which is normally after three years, is complicated because of the "super-two" provision. Each arbitration class includes the players who have reached three years of service time, plus the top 17% of the two-plus group. This is done to keep owners from playing games with service time, leaving players in the minors for a few days just to push the clock back another season. There's no fixed date for when it becomes safe to bring up a player without triggering the super-two possibility, it all depends, but "sometime in June" is a general guess for when you could bring up a minor-leaguer without that season counting towards arbitration.

[mth123]

Originally Posted by IslandRed

The arbitration clock is one of the more misunderstood things I see here.

MLB service time -- as defined by being on the active (25-man) roster or major-league disabled list -- is measured in days. It takes 172 days of service time to equal a "year" for the purposes of arbitration and free agency. That's a very important distinction. Homer Bailey wouldn't get a year towards arbitration just by appearing in a Reds game this year. And the clock stops if the player goes back to the minors. If, hypothetically, Bailey joined the Reds for July, August and September, then spends all of 2008 in the minors (let's hope not), his service time is roughly three months -- not one year and three months.

Arbitration, which is normally after three years, is complicated because of the "super-two" provision. Each arbitration class includes the players who have reached three years of service time, plus the top 17% of the two-plus group. This is done to keep owners from playing games with service time, leaving players in the minors for a few days just to push the clock back another season. There's no fixed date for when it becomes safe to bring up a player without triggering the super-two possibility, it all depends, but "sometime in June" is a general guess for when you could bring up a minor-leaguer without that season counting towards arbitration.

Thats true. I'd add that I believe that (not sure, I could easily be wrong) service time is not awarded after rosters expand to 40 man in September. Maybe some one who knows better can clarify.

[Danny Serafini]

Sept. counts the same as any other month.

[IslandRed]

Originally Posted by Danny Serafini

Sept. counts the same as any other month.

Right. In September, the active roster limit changes from 25 to 40. That's the only change. Players still have to be on the 40-man roster to be placed on the active roster; they still have to be promoted to the active roster if they weren't there already (it doesn't just happen automatically on 9/1); time spent on the active roster still counts as service time.

[mth123]

I stand corrected. Heard that somewhere but could never verify. Thanks for the info.

[fargo55]

In addition to the salary levels, most every player has built in one time bonuses for each level they move up. A-AA-AAA-MLB at a rather meager 1,000, 1,500, 1,500 dollars per level. If they have College eligibility, 1-4 years, they often have that built in to their contracts. The "Blue Sheet" that MLB sends and signs, details how this works. Because of the low graduation rate and the semester hours lost in transfers, many juniors still receive a couple more years of guaranteed College money. The College money is dependent on the costs at the College they were drafted from or the one they had signed a scholarship to. The players have up to 6 years after they leave baseball to use these set-aside funds. One thing I noticed, some clubs like the Yankees and others throw some money at HRs and complete games along with other achievements to the players that accomplish these proscribed feats. The Yankees and Angels give 100-300 dollars/ player each time they ring these bells. To my knowledge, the Reds do not have any in place incentives. I'll ask my son, but I thought that the Rookie league paid the same as A-Ball.

[Triples]

Fargo: I don't think there is any kind of incentive clause in the Reds contract either (other than the one time $1000-$1500 you mentioned) but I would be intersted in knowing if there is.

Originally Posted by fargo55

In addition to the salary levels, most every player has built in one time bonuses for each level they move up. A-AA-AAA-MLB at a rather meager 1,000, 1,500, 1,500 dollars per level. If they have College eligibility, 1-4 years, they often have that built in to their contracts. The "Blue Sheet" that MLB sends and signs, details how this works. Because of the low graduation rate and the semester hours lost in transfers, many juniors still receive a couple more years of guaranteed College money. The College money is dependent on the costs at the College they were drafted from or the one they had signed a scholarship to. The players have up to 6 years after they leave baseball to use these set-aside funds. One thing I noticed, some clubs like the Yankees and others throw some money at HRs and complete games along with other achievements to the players that accomplish these proscribed feats. The Yankees and Angels give 100-300 dollars/ player each time they ring these bells. To my knowledge, the Reds do not have any in place incentives. I'll ask my son, but I thought that the Rookie league paid the same as A-Ball.

[fargo55]

Originally Posted by Triples

Fargo: I don't think there is any kind of incentive clause in the Reds contract either (other than the one time $1000-$1500 you mentioned) but I would be intersted in knowing if there is.

My son said that there are no Reds incentives other than the obvious one, getting noticed and moving up. Since posting this, I"ve asked around and found that about half of the teams add these little inducements into their minor league systems. Basically, it adds a little fun to the daily practices/games. Several of the guys that I asked, felt it help team-building and foster friendly competition. Sometimes the coaches have fun with the guys, pointing out the financial losses with a weak fly-ball or a walk. Honestly, I think the players love having the opportunity to play, they'd take the incentive money but they are not crying about it.