Dodgers cut salaries for team employees

The Dodgers on Tuesday announced graduated salary cuts for team employees during the coronavirus pandemic, joining a growing number of teams around Major League Baseball to either reduce pay or furlough employees.

“Over the last several weeks, we have considered every way to better withstand the challenges presented by the virus,” the team said in a statement. “Today – while we remain very hopeful that there will be a 2020 season – we are implementing a number of measures to reduce our costs. We remain ready to play as soon as that becomes feasible.

“These measures include salary reductions for all exempt employees above a certain salary threshold, with higher paid employees taking a larger share of the reductions. This plan allows us to avoid organization-wide furloughs and to preserve hundreds of jobs.”

Jorge Castillo at the Los Angeles Times reported team employees with salaries of at least $75,000 would be cut, on a scale up to 35 percent at the highest level.

The Dodgers were among the majority of teams around the league committed to pay its non-playing employees through May 31. Commissioner Rob Manfred suspended all uniform employee contracts effective May 1, giving teams the mechanism to either reduce pay or furlough employees.

Around MLB, teams have announced either salary cuts or furloughs that are pending.

Among the teams furloughing employees include the A’s, Angels, Pirates, and Marlins.

Teams issuing pay cuts, in addition to the Dodgers, include the Cubs, Nationals, Giants, Mariners, Mets, Padres, Rangers, and Blue Jays.

Links

• LA Times readers have voted Vin Scully the biggest icon in the history of Los Angeles sports, beating Magic Johnson in the final round. Scully earned over 62 percent of the vote.
• Ken Gurnick at MLBcom breaks down the choice for all-time right-handed starting pitcher in Dodgers history. He has Don Drysdale and Don Sutton as the top two choices, followed by fellow Hall of Famer Dazzy Vance and Cy Young Award winners Orel Hershiser and Don Newcombe.
• Maria Torres at the Los Angeles Times chronicled the expanded role of agents for both major and minor league players during baseball’s shutdown.