The Mets have set out to pay their employees for the rest of the season, per a report from Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic. However, the Wilpons will reduce their employees’ pay for the remainder of the 2020 season, regardless if the season is canceled or not. The Padres will enact a similar plan with their staff.
This move will affect the Mets’ non-player personnel, such as their coaches, scouts, and executives. It will only impact employees earning more than a $60,000 salary and those who earn the most will procure the most reductions. The pay cuts will start in May and continue through October 31st.
On Monday, April 20th, Rob Manfred permitted all Major-League clubs to reduce the pay of their non-personal staff in order to remain financially afloat. It’s been reported that the Wilpons are struggling with their cash flows and are looking for a way to raise more capital.
In order to save costs this season, the Wilpons’ prefer to cut the paychecks of the players, a concern which they recently raised in a call with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Another way the Wilpons are looking to save cash is to offload the Mets. A sale with billionaire Steve Cohen fizzled out earlier this year, but Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez are reportedly looking for investors to team up with to facilitate a purchase of the club. Cohen offered 2.6 billion dollars, but with the current economic landscape, a bid of that magnitude seems extremely unlikely.
Earlier this month, the Mets’ ownership created a fund worth 1.2 million dollars to pay Citi Field’s day-to-day staff during the COVID-19 crisis.
