Dodgers links: Minor league pay, Dave Roberts, Stan Kasten

Minor league players will continue to be paid a stipend through May 31 or the start of the season, whichever comes sooner, MLB announced on Tuesday.

Minor leaguers will be paid a reported $400 per week during the shutdown, extending an agreement originally in place through the end of spring training. In addition, minor league players will continue to receive medical benefits.

The weekly rate during the shutdown is more than the leaguewide minimum salaries in season at Single-A and Double-A, though less than Triple-A ($502 per week), though the Dodgers have raised minor league salaries this season.

Links & notes

Dave Roberts was a guest on SiriusXM’s MLB Network Radio channel on Tuesday morning, and among other things talked about the Dodgers’ new acquisitions from the Red Sox.

On David Price: “I knew David was a great teammate and everybody talked about that, but for him to jump in with both feet as a Dodger from day one was very exciting. Guys that are veterans and superstars — he’s a former Cy Young winner — they tread lightly, and they don’t really jump in with both feet coming to a new environment, and David did just that.”

Roberts said Mookie Betts sent him a text the night before addressing the team in the clubhouse during spring training. “The way he took a lot of young guys under his wing, and hosted a dinner at his place. He got up in front of our guys and challenged us all, in a good way, I thought that was really good. Just to see how guys work on a day-to-day basis work, and see guys gravitate toward him was really exciting for me.”

Andy McCullough at The Athletic details the complications of baseball returning to play, and wonders what happens if or when a player tests positive for coronavirus.

Dodgers president Stan Kasten was a guest on this week’s episode of the Executive Access podcast with Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

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