Los Angeles Dodgers to implement salary cuts to avoid furloughs, layoffs

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Tuesday that they will not impose furloughs or layoffs on full-time employees due to the coronavirus pandemicbut instead will begin a system of tiered salary cuts.

The Dodgers informed hundreds of their employees on a Zoom call Tuesday afternoon that the salary cuts -- which will range from 0 to 35% or more for top executives and will start June 1 -- will affect only full-time employees making more than $75,000 a year, sources told ESPN.

In a statement, the Dodgers said higher-paid employees will take a larger share of the reductions.

"This plan allows us to avoid organization-wide furloughs and to preserve hundreds of jobs," the statement said.

The Associated Press previously reported that the Dodgers are projected to lose $232 million this year, making them the second-hardest-hit team in the league behind the New York Yankees, who are projected to lose $312 million, because of the pandemic.

Most of baseball's 30 teams have pledged to pay their full-time employees through the end of May, but that commitment has softened as the shutdown has continued.

ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reported Tuesday that theOakland Athleticswill furlough almost all of their amateur and professional scouts and about three-quarters of their player development employees. That's on par with the furloughs announced by theLos Angeles Angelson May 19 in their player development and scouting departments, as well as their minor league staff, beginning in June.

The Miami Marlins, Cincinnati Reds,Tampa Bay Raysand A's previously announced that they would implement furloughs and/or layoffs.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has said that baseball will lose $4 billion in revenue this season, and he has given teams permission to cut payroll.