Generosity and kindness are priceless.
Dodgers pitcher David Price understands that without his years in the minor leagues, he probably wouldn’t be the $217 million man he is today. Some of this may be speculation, but actions speak louder than words.
According to a report from Francys Romero, the left-handed starter plans to pay $1,000 to Dodgers minor leaguers not currently on the team’s 40-man roster in the month of June to help alleviate some of the financial pressure caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
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Sources: David Price will pay $1,000 of his own money during the month of June to every minor league player in the Dodgers system (40-man roster not included) according to multiple sources. Nice act if we take into account that Price has not yet played in MLB with @Dodgers. RESPECT.
– Francys Romero (@FrancysRomero10) May 29, 2020
Various organizations are paying their minor leaguers $400 per week while the MiLB season is suspended, but on May 28, many organizations decided that releasing players was the most viable financial option for entities worth billions.
Unsurprisingly, baseball fans on Twitter used the tweet machine to congratulate Price and offer some criticism of MLB owners:
It’s great that David Price has stepped up to help others, and it’s not surprising given his history of charity. https://t.co/LkZcX6DggG It’s also embarrassing for the owners who ordered layoffs, furloughs, and 401k cuts, all while owning far more wealth than David.
– Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) May 29, 2020
good for David Price, but the principal owner of the Dodgers has a net worth of around $3 billion. embarrassing that players are essentially saving multi-billionaire owners https://t.co/vCyZAMxhuq
-Steve (@sschreiber13) May 29, 2020
Billionaires: We can’t afford $400/week
David Price: hold my beer https://t.co/CJbGNwbqm3
-Kershiser (@Kershiser77) May 29, 2020
Guggenheim Baseball Management owns the Dodgers and is led by Mark Walter, CEO of Guggenheim Partners which manages $270 BILLION in assets.
David Price’s entire 7-year, $217 million contract is worth less than 1% of that, and he literally makes more for the minor leagues. https://t.co/uae3bGUqou
– Sara Sánchez (@BCB_Sara) May 29, 2020
David Price is not a billionaire. Owners are the greediest, stop blaming the players https://t.co/SH8azDgTMT
– Marc Luino (@GiraffeNeckMarc) May 29, 2020
Thursday was one of the darkest days for MLB in a long time, with hundreds of minor leaguers released so owners could save a few dollars in the face of the pandemic. With the uncertainty of the MiLB season, owners crying, and the current status of the MLB season still up in the air, releasing players to save $400 per week for the minor leagues seems unfair.
MORE: Max Scherzer says MLB players ready to leave 2020 season
So really, you want to focus on the positive side of Price doing great things for the minor leagues, but it also goes against the billion-dollar owners who just aren’t doing enough to support the pool of future talent for the MLB. They all have to start somewhere and that somewhere is the minor leagues.
Although it has long been documented and noted that the major leagues take care of young players, it is rare to hear about financial help and support from MLB veterans. So for Price to do this, even though it’s not his responsibility, is a wonderful thing for him to do. After all, the minor leaguers aren’t employees or players for Price. These are players in the Dodgers organization.
Maybe the billionaire owners who support these teams should follow suit.
