Mets employees facing pay cut starting in June
A general view as the Mets play against the Marlins in the third inning during the second game of a doubleheader at Citi Field on Aug. 5, 2019. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The pandemic-related ripples that have ravaged businesses all over the world have reached the Mets.
Because of baseball’s indefinite delay to the start of the season — and the question of whether there will be a season at all — the Mets told employees on Monday that all salaries will be lowered as of June 1, sources said.
The Mets plan to pay everyone their full salaries through May and pay the reduced salaries the rest of the year, according to sources.
The cuts will remain in effect even if a partial season is played. They also are subject to extensions if conditions worsen — if, for example, there is no season at all.
The cuts will be administered on a scale, from 5% for the lowest earners up to 30% for the highest, a source said.
The Mets announced the changes internally during a company-wide video meeting Monday afternoon. Some within the organization initially found out about the decreased pay when they saw a report — before the all-employee briefing — on Twitter from The Athletic.
These cuts apply to full-time employees. They don’t include players on the major-league roster, minor-leaguers or part-time/seasonal game-day employees — all of whom are covered to some degree by various other plans.
The Mets join the Padres as major-league clubs known to be lowering pay for at least some employees, and more could join them in the coming weeks. Most teams have made paycheck promises only through May, by the end of which there could be more certainty about the status of the season.
MLB shut down spring training on March 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic, and without any games being played, teams are not making money.
As the league mulls various backup plans for the 2020 season — including a centralized setup played in a handful of cities/states — they are all contingent on the public health situation improving and the government restrictions loosening.
A partial season won’t solve teams’ financial issues entirely. Commissioner Rob Manfred has said in recent interviews that 40% of local revenue is ticket- and gate-related. MLB’s contingencies thus far include few or no fans attending games.
