Minor league baseball players and Major League Baseball struck a tentative deal Wednesday on the first collective-bargaining agreement between the sides that will more than double player pay, sources familiar with the agreement told ESPN.
The deal, which will last for five years, comes after a rapid and successful effort last year by minor leaguers to unionize under the umbrella of the Major League Baseball Players Association and follows previous gains in housing and pay.
The pay increases at each level are significant, according to sources, and will pay players in spring training as well as the offseason, outside of a dead period between the Thursday before Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.