(Insert the sarcasm icon here).
BA reports that minor leaguers are supposedly going to start getting a $25 per diem when on the road this year.
The per diem has apparently been $20 per day for a long, long time. This increase was, BA says, approved back in 2008, but because of "economic uncertainty," teams decided they couldn't risk committing themselves to an extra $355 per player (approximate) in meal money until now.
BA notes that in the Eastern League, clubhouse dues have moved up to $11 per day, and it is $14 per day in most PCL parks, so when you factor in the $2 per player tip that is customary, under the old per diem, the players only had around $5 to eat on the rest of the day.
BA also points out that, for a Division I player, the per diem on the road is $35 per day. Just as a point of comparison. And in the majors, it is $87.50.$89.50.