Rob Manfred Just Cleared a Path for MLB Teams to Stop Paying Some Employees

The coronavirus forcing the MLB schedule to a dead stop has made it tough for all 30 MLB clubs to come up with the money generated by games to pay employees. Unfortunately for those employees, Rob Manfred's latest plan to address the financial health of the league involves working with teams to avoid paying certain staffers.

Manfred is going to allow teams to either reduce the pay of non-player employees or furlough them for an unspecified period of time, forcing them to go weeks or months without getting a paycheck without being fully laid off.

This plan would affect managers and coaches at the major and minor league levels, as well as some front office employees. With no clear end in sight to the COVID-19 shutdown, the effects could be far-reaching.

Even amidst these challenges, the MLB will be continue honor employee health benefits, though that's the smallest of silver linings in this story.

Being furloughed in these uncertain times is unfortunate, but something that more or less every sports league will have to do in some capacity in order to keep the financial wheels turning behind the scenes as best they can. If and when play resumes -- which is tied directly to fans practicing good social distancing protocols and flattening the curve -- these furloughed employees could get back to work.