Report: MLB Letter Argues To Retain Anti-Trust Exemption

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings related to the anti-trust exemption, which MLB has enjoyed since 1922.

Major League Baseball sent a 17-page letter to Congress on Friday detailing why it should continue to enjoy an anti-trust exemption.

Specifically, the letter, as reported by The Athletic, was designed to bolster the argument that the MLB, and its minor-league players and franchises, are better off with the exemption.

The letter was returned in response to a request from the U.S. Senate Judiciary committee, which asked MLB for information about its use of the anti-trust exemption.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), the chair of the committee, released a statement saying that hearings based on the letter’s contents were coming.

“It is reasonable to question the premise that MLB is treating the Minor Leaguers fairly,” Durbin said in the statement. “Commissioner Manfred’s response to our bipartisan request for information raises more questions than it answers, and the discrepancies between today’s letter and the reality that minor league players are experiencing reinforce the importance of the Committee’s bipartisan review of the century-old baseball antitrust exemption. We need to make sure MLB is stepping up to the plate when it comes to fair treatment of players and communities, which is why the Judiciary Committee is planning an upcoming hearing on the issue.”

Manfred and MLB argued in the letter that the anti-trust exemption allows the game to benefit fans and players, and the letter quoted MLB as saying that its removal would mean “baseball in far fewer communities.”

MLB was first given that anti-trust exemption in 1922, and it effectively insulates the game from certain practices that other companies and organizations must adhere to.

The anti-trust exemption is coming up mainly as it relates to minor league baseball, where there is concerns that players are not paid a living wage, a point that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred dismissed during an All-Star Game press conference.

While most minor league players get a signing bonus when they’re drafted and signed, their wages typically start at $400 per week at the game’s lower levels and improve to $700 per week at the Triple-A level. Wages are only paid during the season.

The letter spent time explaining why the anti-trust exemption is important to the game, including minor league players.

While MLB has made significant improvements to living conditions and wages for minor league players, including paying for players’ living arrangements during the season, it’s only been due to significant pressure applied by organizations like Advocates for Minor Leaguers.

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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard

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