In addition to seeking pro-rated salaries for players — and larger reductions if/when games are played without fans in attendance — the league is asking umpires to take a reduction in pay as well, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports. Nightengale indicates that the league is seeking a roughly 35 percent reduction in pay and has informed the umpires that if no agreement can be reached between the two sides, they will not be paid until play resumes. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that the umpires’ offer included a 20 percent reduction in pay (subscription link). The league is seeking an agreement as soon as this weekend, though that may not be likely.
Per Rosenthal, the umpires union is torn on whether to accept the league’s proposal and has responded with a “hold letter” that would keep negotiations going while the umpires agree not to file a grievance as their May pay is withheld. His piece is rife with specifics on the league’s proposal, although at its base, the league is asking that umpires’ entire salaries be prorated despite the fact that umpires are paid over a 12-month term (unlike players, who are paid only in-season). In essence, the league is seeking to retroactively prorate salary that was paid out to umpires prior to the COVID-19 pandemic by more heavily reducing pay in the remaining months of the year. Umpire per diems and postseason bonuses would be reduced as well. The league would compensate umpires for working a second Spring Training.
Nightengale notes that salaries range from $110K for rookie umpires to $432,800 for the most seasoned of the 76-person group. Postseason bonuses, per diems, an annual $12,000 licensing payment (which has already been paid out), health and retirement benefits further boost earnings. That said, umpires themselves face a lengthy grind to the big leagues while calling games in the minors and (per Rosenthal) top out at earning a $20K salary per year in Triple-A.
The potential unrest between the league and its umpires only serves as the latest reminder that the amount of intricacies that need to be accounted for in a shortened season teeters on innumerable. As with the players, there will be logistical challenges for umpiring crews once this dispute is settled, but the immediate focus is agreeing on finances and the extent of concessions both sides will make.
“…the league is seeking a roughly 35 percent reduction in pay and has informed the umpires that if no agreement can be reached between the two sides, they will not be paid until play resumes.”
Wow… Bully tactics? MLB apparently needs a refresher course in “Basic Public Relations.”
Just ask MiLB.
Sorry, can’t say I blame them. Zero revenue coming in now plus add in the fact that MOST of those guys are easily replaceable. I bet if a bunch of baseball fans went to umpire school and trained, learned the rules inside and out, most of us would be happy to work a part of the year job for less than what the lowest major league umpire makes. With replay correcting them when they are wrong anyways and robots umps calling the balls and strikes soon enough, it really isnt a hard job.
You wouldn’t stand a chance out there making the calls they make. You’re on the road 7-8 months a year too. Not going home for really long stretches. Super stressful job, a thankless one as well. You’d quit in the 3rd inning if you were in a rookie ball game…
You’ve obviously never umpired, any level, a day in your life!!
@stgillooly lol I have umpired plenty and would not have any problems but think what you want. Also, Any one of us could take a quarter, flip it on the calls we aren’t sure of and still be better than Angel Hernandez. Do you honestly feel that a job that can be done by old men who are mostly out of shape or are a shape is that hard? Its about vision and knowing the rules. And for the stressful part of it, I dont think it would be too stressful working 3 hours a day for 7 months. There are hardly any arguments with umpires any more, they just challenge when they dont agree with you. Maybe you cant handle that, I certainly could.
They have been home for two months. And I’d take a six figure “thankless”job, as would most sane people.
I have umpired, as well as refereed basketball. And, I agree that for every questionable call where you could flip a coin, many would be better than Angel Hernandez or Joe “Country” West! I was far from perfect and maybe not in the best shape I could have been, but watching Joe West is just nauseating.
I somewhat get their argument, but they are billionaire owners and can sustain the economic hardship better than the players and definitely the umps, yet they’re nickel and diming both groups to death. Normaly, in these instances, I support owners. The owner of any business owns the business, footed the bill to assume ownership, and took on the risk of failure or out of the ordinary circumstances. But they’re trying to avoid having to assume the responsibilities of those risks. And as I said before they’re freaking billionaires, they can absorb the cost of taking care of valuable employees that actually depend on a weekly or monthly paycheck to support their families and whatever lifestyles theyve grown accustomed to. The billionaires are gonna be just fine no matter what
I’m just going to tell you right now that as a professional umpire myself, you clearly do not understand our job and that’s quite honestly insulting. You go through the years of training and perfecting your craft while having to work multiple other jobs just to support a family and then get back to me about how replaceable we are.
Never meant to insult you or your profession, I just think it isnt THAT hard, not saying it is easy, just that a lot of people could do it and would gladly do it for far less than what the umpires in the majors get paid. I work multiple jobs myself to support my family as well but I dont pretend that I’m not replaceable either.
I watch replays on my TV from home and I think I’m so much better than the umpires too
@ Joe Kerr, why don’t you respectfully ask Mr Daniel, who is an authority on being an Ump, seeing as he is one, the details of his profession? I can imagine many reasons why being a good UMP is a hard job, and, if umpires were easily replaced, I think the ones that get the worst grades each season would just get replaced. I can’t imagine there is one thing about the job that is easy, but rather than speculate and telling a guy who actually umpires for a living that he is replaceable, open your mind and ask him. Just a thought….@ Doug Daniel, I hope the MLB owners pay you guys a fair wage!! Thank you for what you do!
Giantsphan you might have missed the part where Joe Kerr said he’s umpired in the above comments.
Axis, I did see that point in Joe’s post, but without acknowledging what level he’s umpired at, based on the rest of his post, I assume he ump’d in Little League. But, I asked Joe to open his mind, and thus I remain open and will happily read why Joe thinks being an MLB Ump is so easy if he’d like to give us reasons based on his own umpiring career.
Everyone is replaceable,anyone who works for money has had hard times.IMO, no way can an umpire be worth nearly 500,000$.
Doug Daniel – you should be more insulted at the major league umpires who get paid very well for 8 months of work while you, as a professional, probably make much, much less while working a 3-man or 2-man crew for the same amount of time spent on the ballfield.
The major league umpires feeling a sense of entitlement while zero income flows in should be the insulting part.
Joe. You are wayyyy off-base here man.
Show them some respect.
Do you go to the games and think that you could step in as a player too????
TF??
Having a MLB umpire in the family, it is no easy Job. First off there is only 76 of them in the sport making 110k-430k a year no one is retiring from that gig. It also takes a long time to make it to the MLB level, and 20k a year in Triple A isn’t getting anyone to give up your day job.
Exactly, Seattle. The MLB umps are replaceable by the AAA guys. Make a deal.
Hard to feel sorry for these guys once realize that like poor performing members of other unions, these guys just cannot be fired.. Joe West, Angel Rodriquez names come to mind? 2 guys always near the bottom of player polls, yet, because they have been around so long? Can’t be fired due to this union..
I’m sure Angel Rodriguez sucks but I think Angel Hernandez is worse.
The best umps should be paid much more but such should come at a price. Eliminate tenure and seniority. Give MLB the ability to remove the Angel Hernandezes of the world. Let the players privately vote along with having an auto system in place in a weighted system. Those that finish in the bottom third for three straight years get sent to the minors with the best in AAA being promoted.
Thanks for the correction of the last name Looie..
Flip side? I see a lot of GCL games over the late summer period usually. A lot of those umps are really young and some are decent, some not so decent, but I’d say most of them I see, probably 1st year guys out of umpire school (1 was I talked with several years back) more consistent and none of them try to interject their personality into games.. Like West and Hernandez do consistently, often because they blow a call.
I’m not saying umps should be called up John before they’re ready but this not minimum wage and if the total compensation is higher, the union should be all for it. At least send those in need back to school for CE in rules, eye training and yes professionalism.
petty
Just fire Bill Buckner
angel hernandez, too!
Yeah, he needs to go. Seriously, he must be paying the MLB or something like that in order to keep his job that he’s an absolute failure at.
He has to have naked pictures of someone important to keep his job as long as he has with how awful he is.
C.B. Bucknor
Bill Buckner passed away
Ahhh…the devil is in the details.
Im still mad Phil Cuzzi has a job as an umpire 11 years after that ridiculous playoff call against the twins
Phil Cuzzi was fired as a AAA umpire for his inability to impress his supervisors with his on field performance, It seems his performance hasn’t changed, just the impressions of his superiors.
C.B. Bucknor. Jeeez.
CB Bucknor
Umps have little leverage. Take the 65% pay and head back to school… school crossing guards seems about right
Not sure why but this doesn’t feel right.
Manfred will now #ReleaseTheRobots
“OMG!! MLB doesn’t want to pay umpires the same as if there were games that they were umpiring?? And revenue to pay them?! What a shock!”, said no one anyone listens to.
I understand the current economic climate means parties need to work together and make concessions.. but man, MLB is making a habit of mishandling situations. They are causing their own PR nightmares.
If the resumption of MLB pay will be on a date yet to be determined, why fix a 35% reduction? Why not pro-rate the pay for the number of games actually played?
It will already be prorated, but in addition to the prorate there will be a 35% reduction. So 1,000,000 salary in an 81 game season would be cut down to 500,000, and then an additional 35% off that. I’d assume because the league assumes there will not be any fans at these games, which obviously means less revenue for the owners. They’re doing a similar thing with the players I think.
say no and we’ll replace you with robots
Beep boop bop
Not feeling it for Joe West.
Not feeling sorry for Joe West.
The common fan can now relay balls and strikes from the ear price. They should take whatever is offered.
Good they’re all garbage, some on the take, and others just biased
Seems kind of petty. If umpires average $300k, all 76 umps would make $23 mill. total. The combined salaries of all major leaguers is about $4.25 BILLION. Umps collectively make 0.5% compared to all players combined. And the owners are all billionaires. By the way, I am a diehard capitalist!
And yet I don’t feel bad bc 300k is way too much for them. They should be getting paid 60k max
If the umpires do not want to work for the salaries MLB is wanting to pay….. quit and change jobs. Just like every other person in this country. That’s there right. But they better keep in mind how many people are currently unemployed right now while there in the job market with there current resumes.
What a bunch of fools. Robot umps please hurry!!
Lol…BigJon, representing the U.S. worker’s inalienable right to be exploited. “It’s my right as an American to work for lower wages, damn it!” Nothing like pitting workers against workers to ensure the continued dominance of the elite.
Get rid of Joe West and Angel “ Ego “ Hernandez and they can stay at 100% of pay. Those 2 are CLOWNS.
They shouldn’t even get paid that much to begin with. I’m perfectly fine with this.
Will not happen as baseball will be back possibly in 2021.
Can we just eliminate all of Angel Hernandez pay and keep the rest of them at the same pay?
A licensing payment LOL!
Do fans buy umpire jerseys?
Time to start fighting over each slice of the pie.
Here it comes…..
Negotiate pay reductions for umpires who’s calls are overturned. Call it a fine. Use the fine money and donate it to charity.
If they want pay cuts they should hire me
lol