Hopefully, the KC Royals won’t follow A’s MiLB payment route

The Oakland Athletics announced they won’t pay their minor league players throughout the summer. Hopefully, the KC Royals stand by their farm system.

There are quality, well-run organizations, and then there are those that leave us scratching our heads. The KC Royals are the former, not the latter.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported on Tuesday that the Oakland Athletics delivered some bad news to their minor league players. After the end of May, the players will no longer be receiving the $400-per-week stipends they’ve been getting during the COVID-19 outbreak. He also added that other organizations’ decisions in regards to the same matter “should arrive in the coming days.”

This is certainly bad news for the Athletics organization, as it certainly could’ve afforded to pay its minor leaguers. Those players work hard for their money and while some have futures in the MLB, playing at their current level for years to come is the reality for others. Passan pointed out just how crazy this situation is when thinking about the bigger picture:

The hope is that the Royals, albeit a small-market organization, will have the decency to ensure their farm system is at least somewhat taken care of. Under new ownership, the pressure is on to make moves that will be received in a positive light. Denying minor league talent of much-needed funding would be a case of bad optics.

The players are already being robbed of playing time and, more likely than not, a season that could make or break their futures. Making their day-to-day lives harder isn’t the way to go. $400 a week isn’t a ton of money but when taking into account the difference in pay between MLB stars and the average Single-A, Double-A or Triple-A player, it’s a big help.

Only time will tell if the KC Royals join the Athletics in opting to not pay MiLB players for June, July or August. If owner John Sherman wants to help win over the fanbase, he will hopefully do everything in his power to keep things the way they are.