Brewers looking at Jose Quintana, Sonny Gray - MLB

The Brewers are the surprise team of 2017 so far. They are 48-40, are guaranteed to be in first place in the NL Central at the All-Star Break and just beat the rival Cubs last night. Now, reports Jon Morosi, they’re prepared to be deadline buyers:

Sources: #Brewers are prepared to buy at Trade Deadline and have begun background work on Jose Quintana, Sonny Gray and other starters. @MLB

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 7, 2017

It’ll be interesting to see how Milwaukee proceeds. They have some decent prospects, but their thinking heading into the year had to have been that it was a building year, not a year in which they’d truly be competitive. GMs make the big bucks to pivot like that, however. If they can keep their foot on the throat of the Cubs via the addition of a starting pitcher, they should probably look to do it. It’s not going to be often, I suspect, for this Cubs team to struggle like this in the next several years, so perhaps the Brewers should take advantage of it.

As for Quintana and Gray: they’re not likely to be cheap given that they are under team control for multiple years (Quintana via options through 2020), but that also makes it less of a short term gamble for Milwaukee.

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NEW YORK – Minor league players reached a historic initial collective bargaining agreement with Major League Baseball on Wednesday that will more than double player salaries, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details were not announced.

As part of the five-year deal, MLB agreed during the contract not to reduce minor league affiliates from the current 120.

The sides reached the deal two days before the start of the minor league season and hours after a federal judge gave final approval to a $185 million settlement reached with MLB last May of a lawsuit filed in 2014 alleging violations of federal minimum wage laws.

Union staff recommended approval and about 5,500 minor leaguers were expected to vote on Thursday. MLB teams must also vote to approve and are expected to do so over the next week.

Minimum salaries will rise from $4,800 to $19,800 at rookie ball, $11,000 to $26,200 at Low Class A, $11,000 to $27,300 at High Class A, $13,800 to $27,300 at Double A and $17,500 to $45,800 at Triple-A. Players will be paid in the offseason for the first time.

Most players will be guaranteed housing, and players at Double-A and Triple-A will be given a single room. Players below Double-A will have the option of exchanging club housing for a stipend. The domestic violence and drug policies will be covered by the union agreement. Players who sign for the first time at 19 or older can become minor league free agents after six seasons instead of seven.

Major leaguers have been covered by a labor contract since 1968 and the average salary has soared from $17,000 in 1967 to an average of $4.22 million last season. Full-season minor leaguers earned as little as $10,400 last year.

The Major League Baseball Players Association took over as the bargaining representative of the roughly 5,500 players with minor league contracts last September after a lightning 17-day organization drive.

Minor leaguers players will receive four weeks of retroactive spring training pay for this year. They will get $625 weekly for spring training and offseason training camp and $250 weekly for offseason workouts at home.

Beginning in 2024, teams can have a maximum of 165 players under contract during the season and 175 during the offseason, down from the current 190 and 180.

The union will take over group licensing rights for players.

Negotiating for players was led by Tony Clark, Bruce Meyer, Harry Marino, Ian Penny and Matt Nussbaum. MLB Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem headed management’s bargainers.