Marlins remove ‘practice squad’ ad after MLB concerns

The Marlins pulled a recent advertisement “calling for former collegiate and professional players to join the organization’s ‘practice squad’” after MLB “voiced concerns,” according to McCullough & Blum of THE ATHLETIC. The ad, which was posted on a Marlins’ minor-league operation staffer’s LinkedIn page but has since been deleted, “received attention on social media over the weekend.” The listing “offered non-professional players a chance to play against the club’s Low-A affiliate in Jupiter, Fla., for a daily wage of $150.” MLB officials contacted the Marlins about the practice squad, “which could have run afoul of baseball’s roster rules and labor practices.” The Marlins “agreed to scuttle the proposed initiative.” A Marlins official later indicated that the organization “had not fully vetted the ad before publication.” McCullough & Blum noted the concept “had been discussed internally as a means to increase competition within the Marlins’ minor-league ranks” (THE ATHLETIC, 3/17).