Report: Derek Jeter Forgoes Marlins Salary Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter is forgoing his salary and continuing to pay his baseball operations staff their full salaries through May 31 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Craig Mish of SportsGrid and Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald.  

Per McPherson, "Jeter has been in constant communication with his executive team and all members of the Marlins organization since MLB put its season on an indefinite hold. 'This is unprecedented times,' Jeter said on the Marlins' Beyond the Bases podcast on April 8. 'It's better to overcommunicate.'"

As for other measures the Marlins are taking in the community, they also set aside $1 million for various employees at Marlins Park who would have been working in March and April. 

And they started the Home Plate Relief Fund to aid in food distribution throughout Liberty City and Little Havana and donated over a thousand articles of clothing to World Red Eye, which is using the materials to produce masks during the coronavirus pandemic.

Jeter released a statement regarding those initiatives:

"This is the community's team. In times of need, we want to be there for our community. We're trying to do that to the best of our abilities and we'll continue to try to do that. We want to be there for our community. We need to abide by the guidelines. No group gatherings. Stay inside. Wash your hands. We'll continue to do our part, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the park sooner rather than later."

Jeter is also a minority owner of the organization. Alongside his $5 million salary as the CEO, Jeter has an incentive in his contract that kicks in every year he makes the Marlins profitable. 

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported in 2018 the bonus would pay Jeter "$2 million in 2018, $1.7 million in 2019, $1.1 million in 2020, $2 million in 2021 and $2 million in 2022."