Non-roster players to get some pay from MLB
Baseballs are seen during Yankees spring training in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 21. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
As the 2020 season remains in limbo, the MLBPA approved a cash payout Friday to help non-roster players who were in major-league camp when spring training was suspended on March 13 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This group includes 371 players who are not eligible to share in MLB’s recently approved $170 million advance, a payment meant to bridge the first two months of the season for those currently on major-league rosters. Union chief Tony Clark pushed for the compensation, entitled the MLBPA financial assistance program, out of concern that these players, many of them longtime dues-paying members, were in danger of falling through the cracks, according to a source. The package was approved Friday by a union sub-committee.
The payments are broken down into five ascending tiers depending on service time, ranging from $5,000 for less than a year, $7,500 for 1-2 years, $15,000 for 2-3 years, $25,000 for 3-5 years and $50,000 for six-plus years. This money is also meant to supplement — not replace — the $400 per week that MLB already had earmarked for minor-leaguers through May 30 in a deal approved Monday.
David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.
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