‘What are we, interns?’: Dodgers prospects work to make ends meet – The Athletic

I’m OK with smaller farm systems as long as the remaining players get paid a lot better. It makes sense for teams and for players. It’s understandable owners aren’t fans of losing their affiliations with MLB teams.

So he believes Major League Baseball’s teams are hurting themselves by declining to better compensate minor-leaguers, or at least accommodate them in the offseasons.

“You would be lying if you said baseball wasn’t a full, year-round job,” de Geus said. “But we’re being paid like it’s not. What are we, interns? Seasonal workers?”

And because many of his peers cannot develop in the offseason due to financial constraints, de Geus went as far as to offer a concession: Do what the Dodgers do, he suggested, and do it on a larger scale. At least provide training for every minor-leaguer.

“There’s too many options available for the system to justify doing nothing, to stay in the state it’s in right now,” de Geus said. “Maybe don’t even pay guys. But encourage them to go to an actual trainer, or an actual coach, who can actually help the development process, and reimbursing it. That would be a nice consolation.”

Glanville: Why major league players haven’t done more for minor leaguers — and why they should – The Athletic

The status quo is not tenable for anyone.