Even in a league that brought in $12 billion in revenue in 2024, employee paychecks are taking a hit.<\/p>\n
Major League Baseball\u2019s central office has made its healthcare plans more costly to its employees, plan participants who were not authorized to speak publicly told The Athletic.<\/p>\n
Previously, enrolled MLB employees at the commissioner\u2019s office and MLB Advanced Media \u2014 the digital arm of the company, which includes MLB.com \u2014 did not have to pay monthly premiums for coverage, but were responsible for co-pays. To keep that same level of benefits going forward, employees will have to contribute some of their paychecks, which newly makes MLB\u2019s model similar to most other workplaces in the U.S.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur medical benefits are extremely generous and highly competitive compared to other companies,\u201d said Regan White, MLB\u2019s senior vice president of human resources, in a statement. \u201cOur employees have best-in-class medical coverage with very low out-of-pocket costs and MLB will continue to pay the full monthly premium for dental and vision coverage for employees. We are proud of the full and varied employee benefit package that we offer to our employees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters at last month\u2019s All-Star Game, league commissioner Rob Manfred said, \u201cWhen I look at the game right now \u2014 the game, the business \u2014 our sport is really thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n
MLB\u2019s owners this century have pushed for the sport to be operated with the same efficiency principles as outside businesses. Baseball, however, has always occupied a special space in the business world, with unique federal antitrust protection. MLB stadiums are also regularly subsidized by taxpayers, as is the case for venues in other sports leagues.<\/p>\n
Employers expected healthcare costs to rise by 9 percent in 2025, per a New York Times report<\/a> in November, citing the nonprofit research group KFF.<\/p>\n \u201cThirty-seven percent of covered workers at small firms are enrolled in a plan where the employer pays the entire premium for single coverage,\u201d KFF wrote in a survey<\/a> it published last year. \u201cThis is the case for only 5 percent of covered workers at large firms. In contrast, 26 percent of covered workers at small firms are in a plan where they must contribute more than half of the premium for family coverage, compared to 6 percent of covered workers at large firms.\u201d<\/p>\n