New York Mets: 39 Minor League Players Released, But Tebow Remains?

The owners of Major League Baseball continue to dig a hole for themselves as their cheapness continues to consume them. Along with other teams, the New York Mets released 39 minor leaguers in efforts to save money across the organization.

Some notable names are Travis Taijeron, Joey Terdoslavich, and Rob Whalen. The Wilpons barely had any support from Mets fans, and the decision to release the minor league players is an easy way out. It was another example of the owner’s way of putting their profits above their players.

Celebrity Over Players

For the Mets, a prime example of that is Tim Tebow remaining under contract. There was no baseball reason to keep him on any minor league roster over the 39 released players, he is just an entertainer who got his job for being America’s golden boy. One of those was Andrew Church, who put out an Instagram post detailing the cruel Mets decision making. The release compelled him to provide his perspective, and he is likely the first of many who will share their stories.

Casual baseball fans assume every player lives the same dream life. Minor leaguers work just as hard as the guys in the show but do not receive 10% of the treatment big leaguers get. The mass layoffs are just a microcosm of how corrupt minor league baseball has always been.

This is a prime example of how money-driven baseball is. Tebow does not deserve an opportunity to play in affiliated baseball, but his name power got him the gig. Owners are looking to squeeze out every dime they can, and unfortunately, minor leaguers are at the bottom of the totem pole. Unless a player is a top prospect, they are making nowhere near the right amount to survive.

Players have to scrap together meals and work jobs in the offseason just to have a chance to have what should be considered a dream job. With the money these players make, it does not make too much of a difference for the owners. If paying minor league salaries is too much for them to dish out money for, then they should not own a club in the first place. They cut ties with the players and effectively lowers the chances of a minor league season in 2020.

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price is paying $1,000 to the minor leaguers in the organization. It should not take another employee to help others through a rough time like this. If Price, holding nowhere near the money billionaires have, can help out the players, there is no reason why the owners cannot.

Players Perspective

There once was a time where I never understood why players asked for such large amounts of money during free agency. Scott Boras used to be the enemy of baseball, but in reality, he is the leader the players need to get every dollar they deserve. The owner’s greed through these releases and ongoing negotiations shows how much of a business baseball has become.

Players get screwed over on these deals because of the owners. Agreements constantly break, and it is getting to a point where fans would not care about the cancellation entire season. This whole situation is exposed baseball for what it is. A sport for the older generation still caught up in their past generation ways. The player’s salaries are held hostage just because the owners need to make the highest profit they can, instead of trying to break even.

The entire dispute is horrible for the sport, and it makes MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, look even more incompetent. Ever since he took over for Bud Selig, his reign has been one huge dumpster fire. Each day the players miss out, the more likely this amounts to a strike beyond the 2020 season. If starting a partial season goes like this, agreeing on a new collective bargaining agreement will be the equivalent of World War 3.