The Los Angeles Dodgers have executed yet another trade in the young MLB offseason. Also, the league announced a raise in the minimum salary from last year, which was reached after a cost-of-living adjustment.
According to the team's Twitter account, the Dodgers sent infielder Ryan Jackson to the Kansas City Royals for cash considerations. The 26-year-old Jackson has played only 20 MLB games with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 and 2013, but gives the Royals depth in their infield at both the minor league and professional levels.
At Triple-A Memphis with the Cardinals in 2013, Jackson slashed .278/.352/.346 with 49 runs scored and 34 RBIs in 121 games. He missed most of 2014 with a wrist injury that required surgery, but his fielding abilities will give the Royals a decent option in case something happens to Mike Moustakas or Alcides Escobar.
There's good news for Jackson and the rest of the league as well. On Wednesday the MLB commissioner's office announced a rise in the minimum salary for both major league and minor league players. For those at the professional level, their salary will increase from $500,000 to $507,500 in 2015.
Those at the minor league level will see a raise in both their first and second contract signings. The minimum for the first contract is now $41,400 (up from $40,750) and the second contract is worth $82,700 (up from $81,500). The MLB mentioned there would be another increase before the 2016 season, which is the last year under the current labor contract.
"The sport's collective bargaining agreement called for a cost-of-living adjustment based on the yearly increase through October of the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, rounded to the nearest $500," the Associated Press wrote on Wednesday.
The new wave of players coming into the league after the draft this June will make a few hundred more dollars than past players. Although it's a small increase, it's certainly not a bad thing.