MLB Veterans to Be Paid $4,775 Daily for 60 Days Amid COVID-19 Hiatus

As Major League Baseball enters a season with all games postponed, the league and the players' association have divided up the $170 million advance both sides agreed to amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Veteran players will earn a max of $4,775 per day—a total of $286,500—for 60 days as the pool of money is split into four different service time classifications, MLB and the MLB Players Association confirmed to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.

Blum noted fewer veteran players will receive amounts ranging from $16,500 to $30,000 to $60,000. 

The advanced payments will be doled out according to MLB's current payroll schedule covering March 26 through 24. 

The crucial point in the deal between MLB and the union came down to service time, with the league eventually guaranteeing players would be granted the full year regardless of whether the season is played in any capacity or not. 

In advancing salaries, the two sides worked out another major sticking point, making sure players are still being compensated. The classifications for the player sums were broken down by Blum: 

"Young players not yet eligible for salary arbitration have what baseball calls split contracts, with different salaries depending on whether the player is in the major leagues or in the minors.

"Payments to the more senior players were determined by accounting for the less senior players, then dividing the remainder among players with so-called straight salaries -- the same amount in the majors and minors."

Simply put, players who have reached arbitration status are entitled to a larger sum of money than those who haven't.

Additionally, minor league players have been guaranteed to receive $400 per week through May 31 while their contracts are suspended. 

MLB put the season on hiatus on March 12 and continues to remain in limbo as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Players will not have to repay their advances should the season be canceled.