MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has made a move that allows teams to lay off or cut the pay of major and minor league managers, coaches, trainers and full-time scouts starting on Friday next week.
Manfred has suspended uniform employee contracts (UEC) that cover about 9,000 people, including general managers on some teams, citing the inability to play games due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our clubs rely heavily on revenue from tickets/concessions, broadcasting/media, licensing and sponsorships to pay salaries,” Manfred wrote in an e-mail on Monday, a copy of which was obtained by reporters.
“In the absence of games, these revenue streams will be lost or substantially reduced, and clubs will not have sufficient funds to meet their financial obligations,” he said.
“The impact of the suspension of the UEC on your personal employment situation will be determined by your club,” he added.
Manfred’s intention to suspend the contracts was first reported by the Athletic.
Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, the Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati, the Los Angeles Angels, Milwaukee, Minnesota, the New York Mets and Yankees, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Toronto are among the teams that have committed to paying full-time employees through next month, while Miami, Pittsburgh and Texas are to pay full-time baseball operations staff through this month.
The Chicago Cubs are to pay those on UECs and front-office staff through their May 29 paychecks, and Detroit said that it has no plans for layoffs or furloughs.
Major league rule 3(i) requires that UECs must be signed by all managers, coaches, trainers and salaried scouts, and some teams include additional baseball operations staff.
“Pursuant to the terms of the UEC, the club’s exclusive right to your services will remain in effect during the period of the suspension, such that you will not be permitted to perform services for any other club,” Manfred wrote.
“I fully recognize the hardship that this health crisis creates for all members of the baseball community. Central baseball and the clubs are doing everything possible to try to minimize this impact for as many employees as possible,” he said.
The Baseball Assistance Team charitable organization “is available to consider grant applications on an expedited basis for those facing significant and immediate financial hardship,” he added.
“I don’t remember the moment, but ever since I was a kid, that’s the first thing I loved,” two-time NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas said of his lifelong romance with basketball. However, that journey unfolded against the limitations of his size in a game where height often dictates opportunity — a reality he confronted throughout his career. At 175cm, Thomas is less than 2cm taller than the average Taiwanese adult male, while NBA players during his career stood at about 200cm on average. Compared with the NBA’s average career length of less than five years, Thomas’ 13-season career stands out as
Hans Niemann declares he would become a “stone cold killer” in a Netflix documentary released on Tuesday about his feud with five-time classical world champion Magnus Carlsen, a pledge that injects new edge into the lingering fallout from the cheating scandal that shook elite chess. “I’m gonna be a stone cold killer the rest of my life,” the US’ Niemann says in the film. “I’m going to become the best player in the world, and no one is going to believe that now, but this clip will play over and over again in 10 years — just wait.” “I just
Dakar and Rabat have longstanding ties, but relations have been strained since the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, which Senegal won in mid-January before being stripped of the title, which was transferred to Morocco. Now, the AFCON trophy is something of a thorn in the two countries’ sides. On Rue Mohamed V, the street where Moroccan vendors are based in the Senegalese capital, a police van is parked. “The police have been on high alert since the Confederation of African Football [CAF] decided to award the title to Morocco, but there have been no incidents,” a local resident said.
Top seeded Jessica Pegula on Friday once again fought back from a set down to reach the WTA Charleston Open semi-finals with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win against Russia’s Diana Shnaider. Defending champion Pegula has lost the first set in all three of her matches at the tournament so far, but again dug deep to maintain her hopes of retaining the title. The world No. 5 from the US took 2 hours, 10 minutes to defeat 19th-ranked Shnaider, relying on a formidable service game that included eight aces. Shnaider battled well in the first two sets and broke early for a 2-0 lead
RSS