Minor league antitrust examined

Leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee have asked baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred to explain the impact of potential legislation stripping the sport's antitrust exemption from covering the sport's relationship with minor league players.

Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who chairs the committee, and Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican who is the ranking minority member, sent the letter Monday and asked Manfred to respond by July 26 to a series of questions that could be a prelude to proposed legislation further limiting an exemption created by a 1922 Supreme Court decision.

The letter is the next step after a similar request for information the four senators sent last month to an advocacy group for minor leaguers. The executive director of the nonprofit Advocates for Minor Leaguers has recommended Congress enact legislation nullifying the application of the exemption to minor leaguers.

Senators asked about the potential impact of repealing 2018 legislation exempting minor league players from federal minimum wage and overtime laws — the Save America's Pastime Act — and whether the antitrust exemption played a role in MLB's decision in 2020 to cut minor league affiliations from a minimum of 160 to 120. They also asked whether MLB would commit to maintaining 120 affiliates when current 10year player development license agreements expire after the 2030 season.

Draft Day 2

Mason McGwire, son of 12-time All-Star slugger Mark, was selected in the eighth round of baseball's amateur draft by the Chicago Cubs on Monday.

Mason is a right-handed pitcher out of Capistrano Valley High. The 18-year-old is committed to the University of Oklahoma, where his 19-year-old brother Max is an infielder. There's no indication yet if Mason plans to turn pro, but teams seldom use picks in the top 10 rounds on players who they think are unsingable.

Mark was also drafted in the eighth round out of high school in 1981 by the Montreal Expos as a first baseman and right-handed pitcher. He opted to attend college at Southern California, where he led college baseball in home runs in 1984 before being chosen 10th overall by Oakland. Mason is one of several sons of big leaguers taken in this year's draft, including the top two picks — Jackson Holliday, son of Matt, went first overall to Baltimore while Druw Jones, son of Andruw, went second to Arizona. Justin Crawford, whose dad was All-Star Carl Crawford, was selected 17th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Mets broadcaster Alicea dies at 85

Longtime New York Mets Spanish broadcaster Juan Alicea died Monday, the team said. He was 85.

The Mets said Alicea died in his sleep in Florida.

Alicea joined the Mets in April 1969, the season they won their first World Series championship, and worked in the scouting and community relations departments. Alicea started doing Spanish broadcasts for the Mets in 1982 and called more than 4,000 games through 2019.

Boston's Sale has surgery on pinkie

Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale had surgery on his broken left pinkie finger on Monday, a day after it was hit by a line drive in a game against the New York Yankees. The team called the surgery successful but did not give a timetable for his return.