Mar. 30—They saw it when we saw it. News broke at 7:57 p.m. Mountain Standard Time on Wednesday night, just as the Albuquerque Isotopes wrapped a light two-hour practice and started to splinter off for the night.
By his own admission, Cole Tucker had other things on his mind. So, the 24th overall pick in 2014 and new to the Rockies organization after nine years with the Pirates was a little late to the news.
"The Phoenix Suns were on (Wednesday) night and Kevin Durant was playing," he laughed. "So I was hauling a** out of here. I kind of missed it."
Like Tucker, veteran catcher Grayson Greiner only saw the news later on social media, not through a formal release.
Matt Carasiti is a journeyman right hander, back with the Rockies after stints with the Cubs, Giants, Red Sox and some time in Japan. He was playing chess on his iPad when he got an ESPN notification.
"All of a sudden, it's like, hey," he said. "We won."
As first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) and Major League Baseball reached an agreement on Wednesday night for a five-year collective bargaining agreement, the first of its kind at the minor league level.
Far and away the most notable event in the minor league union's brief six=month history, there are 12 different conditions in the CBA, covering anything and everything from clubhouse nutrition, team transportation, size of domestic reserve lists and the right to second opinions regarding medical diagnoses.
The lead item, though: increased salaries for all minor league baseball players, effectively immediately after ratification through a vote by minor leaguers.
For the vast majority of the 2023 Isotopes, that meant their base salary went from $17,500 to $35,800 — an $18,300 overnight increase with checks due year-round except for a six-week winter break.
But as the Isotopes took the field for another light practice on Wednesday, it wasn't a celebration. A few players that spoke with the Journal admitted they hadn't read through the entire CBA. None was clear at the time on what a voting process would look like.
"I'm sure no one would vote that we don't make more money," utility player Nolan Jones said.
So, a new day in a new era was spent much like the days before it — chatting around the batting cage. Shagging fly balls. Long toss and the like.
"It's something that should've happened a long time ago," first baseman Michael Toglia said. "Nevertheless, we made it here and I'm happy that it happened."