On Friday, after Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred responded to the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s request for information regarding the league’s antitrust exemption and its impact on the minor leagues, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the Majority Whip and Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued a statement of his own.
“It is reasonable to question the premise that MLB is treating the Minor Leaguers fairly,” Durbin said in the statement. “Commissioner Manfred’s response to our bipartisan request for information raises more questions than it answers, and the discrepancies between today’s letter and the reality that minor league players are experiencing reinforce the importance of the Committee’s bipartisan review of the century-old baseball antitrust exemption. We need to make sure MLB is stepping up to the plate when it comes to fair treatment of players and communities, which is why the Judiciary Committee is planning an upcoming hearing on the issue.”
