Over the weekend Aristides Aquino was in his home country of the Domincan Republic and getting ready to begin play in the winter leagues with his team the Tigres del Licey. He was scheduled to begin playing this week – in what was likely to be the first winter in which he would see plenty of playing time in the league. That may no longer be the case.
Hector Gomez of z101 Sports in the Dominican Republic reports that Aristides Aquino’s debut, which was supposed to happen Tuesday, won’t be happening because he has not reached a salary agreement with Licey. I’ve translated the quote from Aquino via Google Translate
I want fans of @tigresdellicey to know that I play with my heart and give myself 100% to the team. The only thing I am demanding is that I be treated fairly, since it is difficult to assimilate that imported the Dominicans are paid better than us. It is not something personal. What it is about is that the Dominican player is valued fairly. When one is out of work in organized baseball or has a season below us they say: “this is what is there for you; or take it or leave it. “If we accept a salary below our level, then that affects the other players in the Minor Leagues“
Good for Aristides Aquino. As a player who has gone to the Major Leaguers and broken records, and proven the kind of player that he is, he is the type of player who can stand up for the group of players with lesser power. Players in the minors do not get paid very well unless they are on the 40-man roster. Where many players can actually make money is in the winter leagues, playing in the Dominican Republic or Mexico. The leagues in those countries draw good crowds and are a big deal.
Updated at 1:12pm
Hector Gomez just reported the salary dispute numbers. Aristides Aquino is reportedly asking for $17,000 per month, while his team is offering $10,000 per month.
FUENTE: Arístides Aquino está solicitando un salario de US$17,000 mensuales y los @TigresdelLicey le ofrecen US$10,000.@z101digital @ZDeportes
— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) November 12, 2019
I have a serious man crush on this guy. I might need to see someone about it if it gets any worse.
I’d be careful about trying to justify Aquino’s contract dispute based on his “broken records”. He had one good half season. The league is riddles with players like this who do nothing afterwards. Let’s see how he does after he gets around the league once. Let’s see how the league adjust to him, how he adjusts back to the league, etc.
Second, it sounds like that Aquino is holding out from his winter league team in order to make an argument for the players in the minor leagues. I really don’t know if that arugment is going to work very well. That’s like trying to say a person in a higher paying job is holding out on that company paying him that higher paying job because people in an entirely different company isn’t getting paid as much.
It sounds like Aquino should have been making this argument while at Louisville, in the minors, etc.
@steve,
I think he is holding out to try to point out the inequity in what they are paying in the Dominican League.
you are correct. This is all about the Dominican League. Not sure where someone would think this is about the minor leagues.
They are thinking it’s about the minor leagues because they didn’t quite understand the quote in the article from Aquino, who mentioned the minor leagues.
Aquino was noting that if players like him, the Major Leaguers, accept below their value from teams int he Dominican, then the guys who are still the minor leaguers who are playing there will have to also accept lower wages in the Dominican during the winter league because they can’t argue that they should be paid similarly to the Major Leaguers.
Not sure what the Punisher has to prove by playing down in a league such as this. Hopefully he doesn’t need the money that bad.
He could just want to keep working on some hitting thoughts, it’s encouraging that he’s working so hard to get better
It’s a very big deal to play in your home country during the winter. And he probably does need the money. Until this season he’s never made anywhere near $100,000 in a single year playing baseball. This season he made about $160,000 in the Major Leagues. Not sure what he made in Triple-A this year as he was a free agent after last season and was able to negotiate his own contract, thus doesn’t apply to the standard pay there.
This is an incredible stretch.
As a Reds fan let’s hope Aquino gets back on track and wants to join the Reds and play baseball. It is a noble cause he is trying to do I wish him well but hope he joins the Reds soon.,
Huh? What does this have to do with playing for the Reds?
$13,500 and play ball!