D-Backs workers’ paycuts remain
The Diamondbacks appear to be one of only a handful of teams in the major leagues to continue to institute pay cuts throughout their organization.
A survey of sources throughout the majors found that while most organizations dealt with furloughs, layoffs and pay cuts for much of 2020, many were said to have returned their remaining employees back to full pay at the beginning of the year. Others did so in recent weeks.
The Diamondbacks, however, continue to have pay cuts on sliding scales, with those making the most money seeing the highest percentage of cuts, a team spokesperson confirmed. The spokesperson said the club is waiting to determine what 2021 revenues will look like before considering adjustments.
“This pandemic has affected so
many and we are not immune as we needed to go through eliminations, furloughs and pay cuts," Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall said in a statement. "The cuts were for all of us on the baseball side and business side, as we try and do what we can to help stop the bleeding. The sacrifices our staff continues to make are greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, nothing has changed or improved since this began. We hope to be able to reinstate salaries soon.”
The club said last year it was expecting to lose something in the neighborhood of $100 million. Last May, the team laid off or furloughed more than 25 percent of its workforce.
At the time, all remaining employees had their salaries cut an average of 15 percent. A source said most team employees had their cuts reduced this year to the point that the majority are on cuts of 10 percent or less.
The highest-ranking executives in the organization, including Hall and General Manager Mike Hazen, are said to have taken the largest pay cuts.
The Republic contacted baseball operations sources within 26 of baseball’s 30 organizations. All but a few said they believed their clubs had returned their entire baseball staffs to full pay. Several had their salaries restored but the clubs have yet to restore their 401K match.
Sentiment within the Diamondbacks’ organization seems mixed. Many say they are thankful to still have jobs while some say morale has taken a hit within an organization that often celebrates its workplace culture.
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred suspended Uniform Employee Contracts in May, thus allowing teams to cut pay during a national emergency. Manfred lifted that suspension in recent days, but clubs can continue to keep salaries down because employees were asked to and agreed to sign addendums that override their contracts.
Still, sources from multiple organizations say they expect their teams to return them to full pay following Manfred’s memo.
The Diamondbacks’ baseball operations department largely remained untouched when layoffs occurred last year. The club did shed a sizable salary when then-Assistant General Manager Jared Porter left for the New York Mets, a position that has gone unfilled.
The Diamondbacks say their revenues remain uncertain even if they are cleared to host fans since they do not know how many people will feel comfortable attending games.
The Diamondbacks are operating under a 2021 major league payroll of roughly $97 million, according to FanGraphs’ Roster Resource tracker. That’s the lowest payroll in the National League West by a large margin and is down from last year’s $120 million prepandemic total.
The Diamondbacks’ continued pay cuts were first reported by FanSided.