MLB to Reportedly Provide Housing for Minor-League Players Starting in 2022

The living and working conditions for minor league players have become a more visible issue of late, and the league is reportedly finalizing a plan to provide housing for the 2022 season as the current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire after the 2021 campaign.

ESPN's Jeff Passan reported Major League Baseball hasn't finalized the specifics of the housing plan but did receive unanimous approval from the 30 team owners to create one by next season.

It is still unknown if teams will provide actual housing or stipends to pay for housing, but it is a positive development after the issue was under the spotlight this year. 

"This is a historic victory for minor league baseball players," Harry Marino, the executive director of Advocates of Minor Leaguers and a former minor league player, said. "When we started talking to players this season about the difficulties they face, finding and paying for in-season housing was at the top of almost every player's list. As a result, addressing that issue became our top priority."

Evan Drellich of The Athletic shared a statement from the league:

The Advocates for Minor Leaguers have used their social media presence to further push for more working rights for minor league players.

The group revealed in June that members of the Bowie Baysox, who are the Double-A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, were sleeping in their cars to avoid housing costs they could not afford:

In July, Alex Shultz of SF Gate reported players on the Stockton Ports, the Single-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, were losing money during long homestands this season because of the restrictions they faced.

While minor leaguers often use host families during the season due to the costs and difficulty of finding housing, that option is limited this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. What's more, playing in a city for just the summer makes it far more difficult to find cheaper or even available apartments for rent.

Shultz reported the Athletics covered hotel fees and provided per-diem money for food on the road but not during extended homestands.

That left some players paying far more than they could afford on their paychecks.

It seems as if that will not be as much of a concern in 2022 given this development.