MLB organizes 2022 Winter Meetings auction to raise money for Uvalde Boys and Girls Club

MLB partnered with 30 different clubs and affiliated minor league clubs to organize an annual charity auction during its Winter Meetings to benefit a special cause. This was the first time since 2019 that the MLB had organized this auction.

This year's charity was led by the Texas Rangers and incumbent World Series champion, the Houston Astros. All the proceeds from the auction will go towards establishing a new Boys & Girls Club in Uvalde, Texas, in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting.

“This past spring, we and baseball, like the rest of the country, were shocked, saddened, angered at what happened at the Robb Elementary School,” said MLB vice president of social responsibility April Brown. “But it's those times that we use the power of our sport to turn tragedy into action and to help the communities that we touch to heal. So we hope that this week's auction will play a small role in helping the Uvalde community recover, providing a safe and nurturing environment for the youth.

“Our friends at the Texas Rangers and the world champion Astros have been there from the beginning. Shortly after, they dedicated their time, and for this particular auction, they led the way, reaching out to all of our clubs to make sure that the experiences were first class.”

The MLB Winter Meetings Charity Auction started in 2012 and has since benefitted from multiple small causes such as cancer research, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. In 2019, the Winter Meetings Auction raised money for the five organizations that are part of the ALS Association.

For months, the Rangers and Astros collaborated to bring the MLB together to help the school.

After the Uvalde shooting happened, both the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros discussed various ways in which they could help the community. Paula Harris from the Astros Foundation and Karin Morris from the Texas Rangers Baseball Foundation put together most of the work for the auction and also organized various other small initiatives to benefit the people of Uvalde.

Rangers executive vice president John Blake said that the club that is being built for the kids would be highly beneficial to the town.

“The tragedy, the shootings, the mass shooting in Uvalde was an unspeakable tragedy, not just for the state of Texas, but for the entire world,” Blake said. “This Boys & Girls Club will help them heal. The little part that we can do, the Rangers Foundation has given time, they've given money, but this is something that the entire baseball community can do.”

Apart from the money raised, the Astros also pledged their support to the Uvalde Little League, which will see the World Series winners build new fencing and provide uniforms to the teams.