Giants to increase Minor League salaries in 2020

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Major League Baseball is reportedly set to raise pay for Minor League players beginning in 2021, but Giants will better compensate their own farmhands this year.

President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi confirmed Wednesday that the Giants are planning to give their Minor Leaguers a pay boost in 2020. As first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Triple-A players will receive a weekly salary of $750, up from $502, and a $500 monthly housing allowance.

“It was a collective organizational decision,” Zaidi said at Cactus League Media Day. “There was a lot of momentum. There was a lot of support from ownership, from the business operations side. It was really a consensus that had built. There was some momentum behind it before I came into the organization, but just from a personal standpoint, I’m excited that we were able to do it. I think it does a lot of good for the organization. I think it’s the right thing to do, and I think we’re kind of looking forward to having it in place.”

Salaries for Double-A players will rise from $350 to $600 a week and will include a $500 monthly housing stipend as well. Players at Class A affiliates will earn $500 a week, up from $290, and will be provided with free housing.

The Giants are not the first organization to unilaterally raise Minor League salaries, as the Blue Jays increased pay by 50 percent across the board ahead of the 2019 season.

“I’ve always been interested in supporting Minor League players more effectively,” said manager Gabe Kapler, a former farm director with the Dodgers. “I can tell you, as a player myself, you notice that conditions can always be improved. We all kind of tell stories about our first paychecks in the Minor Leagues, and we always wish they were more.”

Zaidi has not spoken to players about the salary adjustments yet, though he said he is looking forward to hearing their feedback on the changes. He also left open the possibility of implementing more salary hikes in the future.

“I don’t know that the adjustment that we made for 2020 is an endpoint,” Zaidi said. “I think we’ll continue to evaluate it. We’re going to be looking to get feedback from players on how it’s helping and what it’s allowing them to do. It’s a quality of life issue, it’s a convenience issue, it’s a time issue. Just getting a better sense of all that is something we’ll continue to evaluate.”