Former Iowa Cubs owner shells out $600,000 to employees

Investment opportunities do not come around in baseball too often. However, once in a blue moon, it seems, they make themselves apparent, and when that happens, there is a handful of suitors lining up to break out the checkbook.

Specifically, the Chicago Cubs Triple-A affiliate recently changed ownership for the first time in over two decades, ending Michael Gartner’s time as the owner of the Iowa Cubs. But he had one last surprise for his now-former employees, a gesture of goodwill that’s almost beyond words.

As baseball fans, we’ve heard about the laughable wages MiLB players earn for years. Thankfully, the treatment and pay of those players is becoming more of a focal point – but in the world of Minor League Baseball, there are so many individuals behind the scenes who never get any recognition who make what we all experience at these games possible.

Gartner sold the team last month to a major entertainment conglomerate, Endeavor, but did not leave before offering his own sincerest thank you’s to those who make it possible to keep a site like Principal Park in the most upstanding order and help fans make memories that last a lifetime.

Chicago Cubs: Michael Gartner changes the lives of 23 individuals forever

Twenty-three full-time staff members, along with countless others, each received a check corresponding and paid out for each year that staff member was a part of the team. For each year, the return rate was $2,000, with $600,000 being gifted by Gartner and his associates. In addition, the longest-tenured employee was given a massive $70,000 bonus.

In perhaps one of the most monumental moves to happen in Minor League Baseball history, during maybe one of the most challenging times we, as a society, have faced, one man and his team changed these peoples’ lives in dramatic fashion.

Gartner will forever find his name in Cubs lore, no matter how small or how large, for his generosity, proving, too, that not all heroes wear capes and some owners understand what is essential.