Padres have been re-signing a wheelchair-bound minor leaguer for 20 straight years

[SeoulSoxFan]

Just came across this story. Padres staying classy, for 20 straight years:
 
http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/san-diego-padres-matt-lachappa-contract-mlb
 

The San Diego Padres made a series of stunning offseason acquisitions, including trades for Matt Kemp, Craig Kimbrel, Wil Myers and Justin Upton and the free-agent signing of starter James Shields. But one under-the-radar minor-league contract might be the team’s best move of all.
 
At the O.C. Register, Steve Bisheff shares the sad story of Matt LaChappa, a former Padres prospect from the Barona Indian Reservation, just east of San Diego. LaChappa suffered a heart attack while warming up in the bullpen for a start in Class A Rancho Cucumonga in 1996 and is now confined to a wheelchair, but the Padres have renewed his basic minor league contract every season, in part so he can have access to health insurance.

 

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

Very cool.
 
 
To be fair, the Mets have done a similar thing for one of their former prospects.  The Wilpons give him a pair of free upper tier tickets to the 3rd home game of the season, every season.

 

[charlieoscar]

Just a little off topic here but MLB does have a free lifetime pass for a person and a guest. It grants free admission to MLB games for life to any player, manager, coach or umpire with at least eight years of MLB experience. Full-time front office personnel, including general managers, marketing and public relations officials, receive it after 25 years of service. It is also given to an occasional historical figure, including Lindbergh and the 52 American hostages held in Tehran in 1979.

 

[EddieYost]

Very cool.
 
 
To be fair, the Mets have done a similar thing for one of their former prospects.  The Wilpons give him a pair of free upper tier tickets to the 3rd home game of the season, every season.

Not sure that qualifies as similar. The Padres are taking care of a guy's financial needs. The Mets are comping some tickets.

Still nice...

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Not sure that qualifies as similar. The Padres are taking care of a guy's financial needs. The Mets are comping some tickets.

Still nice...

I'm pretty sure that was a joke about how cheap the Wilpons are.

 

[EddieYost]

Boy do I feel like a Roethlisberger.

 

[The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa]

Very cool.
 
 
To be fair, the Mets have done a similar thing for one of their former prospects.  The Wilpons give him a pair of free upper tier tickets to the 3rd home game of the season, every season.

 
I thought they gave standing room only tickets to the guy in a wheelchair

 

[Lose Remerswaal]

That was Kanye

 

[Soxfan in Fla]

Good on the Padres. Compared to there yearly budget this literally costs them almost nothing but is worth so much.

 

[Corsi]

Very cool.
 
 
To be fair, the Mets have done a similar thing for one of their former prospects Bobby Bonilla

 

[charlieoscar]

I contacted a friend of mine who is an officer of the Association of Professional Ballplayers of America, which is an organization that provides "financial assistance for those professional baseball players, coaches, umpires, scouts and clubhouse men who are in need. No distinction is made between the major league player and the minor leaguer." This organization was started in 1924 and my friend says that it is very uncommon for major league clubs to take actions such as the Padres have done.