Cutdown day affects hundreds
Lincoln’s Zammarelli among those released with minor league season in doubt
NEW YORK — Major league teams have released hundreds of young players with the minor league season in doubt due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Over 200 players were cut this past Friday and more than 400 have been released over the past month according to transactions posted at MiLB.com.
The impact was felt locally as the Seattle Mariners released Lincoln native Nick Zammarelli. The Mariners picked Zammarelli in the eighth round of the 2016 draft. He was an All-Star in two of his four minor-league seasons in the Seattle system and is a career .275 hitter with a .340 onbase percentage in 399 games.
Zammarelli took to Twitter on Friday and wrote the following: “Appreciate my time with the Mariners and all the love and support. It was a great four years. As far as baseball goes, I’m just getting started and I look forward to the future. I’m not done yet, believe me.”
As part of MLB’s cutdown day, the Red Sox released 22 players. Two of the players – infielder Nick Lovullo and pitcher Matthew Gorst – saw time for the PawSox last season.
The start of the minor league season was postponed in March and players were mostly sent home from spring training. While Major League Baseball and the players' association are negotiating terms to play big league ball this summer, it's unlikely there will be minor league games.
Minor league players not on 40-man rosters were promised $400 per week through May 31
by a policy drafted by MLB. At least 15 teams have promised to extend those allowances through at least June, with Oakland the only club known to be ending its stipends at the end of May.
The Chicago White Sox were among the clubs to make cuts, but they will continue to pay $400 per week to the 25 players released last week.
Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore said the Royals will not release any minor leaguers amid the pandemic and will continue providing the $400 per week allowances.
“The minor-league player, the players that you’ll never know about, the players that never get out of rookie ball or High-A, those players have as much impact on the growth of our game as 10-year, 15-year veteran players,” Moore said.
“They have as much opportunity to influence the growth of our game as those individuals that play for a long time because those are the individuals that go back into their communities and teach the game. They work in academies.
“They’re junior college coaches. They’re college coaches. They’re scouts. They coach in professional baseball. They’re growing the game constantly because they’re so passionate about it.”
Lower-level players were hit hardest by cuts, with at least 172 players released from the rookie-level Gulf Coast, Dominican Summer Leagues.
It's not unusual for big league teams to release minor leaguers at this time of year. Cuts are routine ahead of the June draft as franchises make space for newly acquired players, and teams also kept more players than usual after spring training this season. It's unclear if more minor league players are being released this season than normal.
Minor league players in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization will be getting something extra in their paychecks courtesy of star pitcher David Price.
He will give $1,000 each to 220 minor leaguers as a goodwill gesture, a team spokesman said Saturday.
They will continue to receive $400 week from the team at least through June.
Price has yet to play a regular-season game for the Dodgers because the start of the season has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. He was acquired in a February trade with the Boston Red Sox.
The 34-year-old left-hander is on a $217 million, seven-year contract that runs through 2021. He was set to earn $32 million this season, with the Red Sox paying $16 millon of that. However, his pay will be determined by whether MLB and the players reach an agreement to play this season.
Baseball will hold its amateur draft June 10, but MLB has shortened the draft from 40 rounds to five.
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