DUNEDIN Jose Cruz Jr. Jersey , Fla. (AP) — Union head Tony Clark lauded the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday for giving minor league players a 50 percent raise, and he hopes other clubs do the same.Representatives from the players’ association visited the Blue Jays spring training camp a day after The Athletic reported the team planned to boost pay for all minor leaguers, some making as little as $1,100 a month during the five-month season. By comparison, the major league minimum is $555,000 per year, and the top players make over $30 million annually.Minor league salaries are paid by major league teams only during the season, so players do not get compensated during spring training or the offseason. Those who don’t receive lucrative signing bonuses often struggle to afford meals, rent and basic equipment like cleats and bats.Toronto is the first club to announce such a raise.“I’m glad there has been some dialogue and a decision made in the last week to suggest that guys are going to be compensated differently than they may have been in the past,” he said. “We’ll have to see how other teams either do or don’t fall in line behind them.”A lawsuit filed by former minor league players alleging MLB violated minimum wage and overtime requirements was disrupted last year when congress passed the “Save America’s Pastime Act,” which stripped minor leaguers of the protection of federal minimum wage laws.MLB has also pushed Arizona lawmakers to exempt minor league players from minimum wage laws there, a move that would affect hundreds of players who are not paid during spring training — despite working as many as 12 hours per day — and make only a few thousand dollars playing in the rookie-level Arizona League.Clark noted conditions in the minor leagues have not changed much since he played there in the early 1990s. Despite that Nolan Ryan Jersey , the union has accomplished little at the bargaining table on behalf of minor leaguers.Clark said he considers minor leaguers “a part of the puzzle” for the union, but added there are challenges to that relationship. Minor league players are not part of the major league players’ association, nor are they unionized themselves.The collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the union runs through the 2021 season, and the next round of negotiations could be difficult given player displeasure over a slowdown in free agent spending. Clark declined to lay out the union’s priorities for those negotiations but maintained that minor league pay would be a consideration.“Although we don’t represent legally the minor league group, we will continue to do the things that we can do to support them moving forward despite that,” Clark said.Blue Jays vice president of baseball operations Ben Cherington told The Athletic that Toronto hoped players would use the extra money to find better housing and food. It’s not uncommon for minor leaguers to cram up to eight players into two-bedroom apartments, sleeping on air mattresses to stretch meager salaries.“We just feel like it’s consistent with our values of trying to be a player-centered organization and give them every resource possible to be at their best,” Cherington said.First-year Blue Jays skipper Charlie Montoyo was a minor league manager for 18 seasons. He said it’s “awesome” that Toronto is boosting pay.“Hopefully that gives an idea to everybody else in baseball,” he said. “That’s awesome I think. I’m proud to be a Blue Jay by what we just did.”Top prospects Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio also praised the move. Both had big league fathers and received sizable signing bonuses, so the salary bump won’t have much effect for them, but they’re thrilled for less fortunate teammates.“It’s definitely going to help a lot of people out,” Bichette said.“It takes their mind off if they have families at home http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey ,” Biggio added. “Some of them are married. It’s hard to live off that especially. That puts a lot of pressure on their wives or their family back home. So that makes it a little bit easier to focus on baseball itself instead of trying to maybe skip a meal and save a little money.” CINCINNATI (AP) — Unexpected stars, unconventional moves, one pleasing win. The David Bell era in Cincinnati got off to an encouraging start for a Reds team trying to finally escape last place.Pinch-hitter Derek Dietrich connected for a three-run homer in the seventh inning Thursday, and Bell went against the book while closing out a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates in his first game as manager.The Reds got starring performances from two players signed for backup roles last month. They also ended the game with a relief pitcher playing center field, a sign of Bell’s openness to new ideas.“You like to try and tell yourself that it’s just one game, but it’s not,” said Bell, whose grandfather and father played for the Reds. “It’s special to the city. It’s a big day.”Two players signed to minor league deals last month became part of Cincinnati’s opening day lore.New shortstop Jose Iglesias doubled twice and drove in a run. After Jose Peraza’s homer off Jameson Taillon (0-1) tied it in the seventh, Dietrich put the Reds up 5-2 with his pinch-hit homer off Richard Rodriguez . Dietrich got a curtain call from the crowd of 44,049, the largest for a regular-season game at Great American Ball Park.Dietrich was known for getting hit by pitches during his six seasons with the Marlins — he set a club record. He never had reason for a curtain call.“I was taking it all in in the dugout with the guys and they were like, ‘Get up there! Get up there!'” Dietrich said.Zach Duke (1-0) retired the two batters he faced. Former closer Raisel Iglesias came on in the eighth and gave up a solo homer by Corey Dickerson. Bell replaced him with two on in the ninth Carlos Lee Jersey , another unconventional move.David Hernandez loaded the bases with a walk before retiring Dickerson on a grounder, getting his first save since 2017. Dickerson fouled off seven pitches with two strikes to extend the game.“It’s a great at-bat,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “It was a pretty epic battle, that late, that kind of situation. They won this one.”Cincinnati reliever Michael Lorenzen got into the game as a pinch runner in the seventh and played the last two innings in center field. He didn’t have a ball hit his way.The win opened a notable season for the Reds. Commissioner Rob Manfred was grand marshal of the pregame parade that kicked off baseball’s 150th anniversary celebration of the first all-professional team, the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.The Reds gave themselves an offseason makeover with three trades, including the addition of Yasiel Puig from the Dodgers. The right fielder got one of the loudest cheers — fans chanting “PUUUUIIIIIIG!”— during pregame introductions and went 0 for 4 with a pair of strikeouts.Pittsburgh’s Jung Ho Kang singled home a pair of runs in the sixth, an early return on the $3 million, one-year deal he signed last November.OUTFIELD WOESThe Pirates opened the season with a depleted outfield. Right fielder Gregory Polanco is recovering from shoulder surgery, and fill-in Lonnie Chisenhall went on the injury list before the game with a broken right index finger. Adding to the problems, center fielder Starling Marte was a late scratch from the lineup because of a migraine.STREAK STOPPEDTaillon allowed three runs or fewer in his last 22 starts of 2018. The Reds got four in the opener, ending his streak.“I’m not going to lose too much sleep over it http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey ,” Taillon said. “I feel like I’m in a really good place.”REMEMBERING ROBBIEThe Reds played a tribute to Frank Robinson on the video board before the game. The Hall of Famer died last month at age 83.COMMISH & CATCHERIn his role as parade grand marshal, Manfred rode in a car with Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench.“If you’re going to spend a half-hour in an open car with anybody, Johnny Bench is a good choice,” Manfred said. “He’s like a god here. I’m sure you could put the most despicable guy in the world in an open car with Johnny Bench and he would get cheered here.”TRAINER’S ROOMPirates: In addition to Chisenhall, the Pirates put fifth starter Jordan Lyles (sore right side), C Elias Diaz (virus), RHP Dovydas Neverauskas (oblique) and OF Jose Osuna (neck) on the injury list. They also moved RHP Edgar Santana (Tommy John surgery) to the 60-day injured list.Reds: Put INF Alex Blandino, 2B Scooter Gennett and LHP Alex Wood on the 10-day injury list.UP NEXTPirates: After an off day Friday, Trevor Williams (14-10) tries to build upon his second-half success last season. His 1.38 ERA after the All-Star break was second-best in the majors behind Tampa Bay’s Blake Snell (1.17).Reds: Sonny Gray (11-9) makes his third career start against the Pirates. The Reds got him in a trade with the Yankees on Jan. 21 after he agreed to add three years to his deal worth $30.5 million through 2022.