Blue Jays News: Toronto Increased Minor League Salaries By 50 Percent In 2019

Credit the Toronto Blue Jays with a very forward-thinking move. Moreover, the Blue Jays increased the salaries of their minor league players by 50 percent in 2019; and it had a large impact. Now, Alexis Brudnicki has more on the story over at MLB.com.

When the #BlueJays increased minor league salaries by 50% this year, they felt it was a small gesture. But for the players, it was incredibly impactful and something they hope to see other clubs do: https://t.co/yGSF7zeRs3

— Alexis Brudnicki (@baseballexis) November 14, 2019

Here’s what team president Mark Shapiro said regarding the decision:

“[The impact was] probably bigger than we thought. We were trying to do the right thing. We were taking advantage of an opportunity to examine it, and listening to a lot of advocacy from Gil and from Ben and from [director of baseball operations] Mike Murov, things that Ross and I had dealt with as farm directors over decades as well, understanding that that’s a substandard way for those young men to live; that not many of them get big signing bonuses.”

Obviously – it’s an organization not only trying to do the right thing – they are doing the right thing. This is a gesture that should instill pride in a player who gets drafted by Toronto and wants to make it work there. Don’t be surprised to see more teams around baseball giving this a shot.

For all the teams out there trying to increase WAR and getting a better player for pennies on the dollar, the Jays took a shot at the human element side of things. Notably, the next few years should tell the story in regards to whether or not it had an impact on the playing field.