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Pandemic-related furloughs appear to be coming to Major League Baseball, and the Miami Marlins will likely lead the way.
The Marlins are expected to furlough about 40% of their baseball operations department on June 1, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Roughly 90 to 100 employees will likely be affected if the team takes that action, according to Rosenthal.
The Marlins will continue to cover the health benefits of all furloughed employees through October, Rosenthal reports.
The Marlins probably won't be the only team furloughing employees. Significant portions of staffs on multiple other clubs are expected to be furloughed beginning June 1, Rosenthal adds.
Miami had only committed to paying its employees to the end of May, similar to many other teams. CEO Derek Jeter previously opted to forego his $5-million salary indefinitely due to the pandemic. Multiple other executives have also taken pay cuts, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred gave teams permission to furlough employees or reduce their pay by suspending uniform employee contracts as of May 1.
The Tampa Bay Rays reportedly furloughed many of their full-time employees at the end of April. The Cleveland Indians, meanwhile, did the same for their part-time employees, but the team will pay full-time staff through June 30.
Clubs that have taken the opposite approach include the Philadelphia Phillies, who are reportedly paying full-time employees through the end of October. The Detroit Tigers and Colorado Rockies also committed to doing the same indefinitely.
The Seattle Mariners announced Tuesday they won't lay off or furlough employees through October. However, organization members making more than $60,000 annually - including general manager Jerry Dipoto and manager Scott Servais - will take pay cuts of at least 20%, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com.
