The Memphis Redbirds (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) and sister USL Championship team Memphis 901 FC confirmed layoffs and employee furloughs.
All in all, 18 full-time employees were laid off last Friday, with other full-time employees furloughed in the meantime. The teams both play at AutoZone Park, and both MiLB and USL Championship play in sports with suspended seasons, and no start date in site. From the Daily Memphian:
On Monday, [Craig] Unger gave the following statement to The Daily Memphian: “As a result of the economic impact from the postponement of sports and events at the facility due to the unforeseen and unexpected COVID-19 emergency, we have made the difficult decision to right-size our staff during this period.
“To assist our teammates, we are filing unemployment claims on their behalf and covering 100% of their health insurance premiums of front office employees affected by these adjustments.
“We look forward to resuming our seasons and welcoming fans back to AutoZone Park as soon as it’s safe to reopen.”
Unger is president of both teams. Principal Owner Peter Freund is a minority owner of the New York Yankees and Principal Owner of Trinity Sports Holdings, which also owns the Williamsport Crosscutters (Short Season A; NY-Penn League) and has a stake in the Charleston RiverDogs (Low A; Sally League). Freund has invested in facilities in both Williamsport and Memphis while investing in pro soccer in Memphis, bring in Tim Howard as a player-coach and minority investor for Memphis 901. Because of success in two wildly different markets, Trinity Sports Holdings was our 2017 Organization of the Year, while previous investments in AutoZone Park upgrades earned our Best Ballpark Renovation Award in 2015.
The shutdown off the season cuts Minor League Baseball a few ways. Besides suspending games and delaying the season opening, shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic takes away the change for any offseason income via non-baseball events, which has grown into a potentially vital side business for many teams.
RELATED STORIES: Fanatics shifts jersey production to personal protective equipment; MLB, MLBPA reach agreement on 2020 season details; Happy Opening Day–at home; Could we see a second spring training this year?; Doubleheaders May Be on the Docket at Start of MLB Season; MLB to Pay MiLB Players Spring Training Per Diems; MLB, MLBPA Negotiating Service Time, Draft; Truist Grant Extends Relief to MLB, MiLB Game-Day Workers; MiLB Teams Lose Non-Gameday Events Amidst Pandemic; Ballpark Parking Lots Could Help During Coronavirus Pandemic; MLB Teams Donate $30M Toward Game-Day Employees; Sandy Alderson: MLB Needs to Enter Total Shutdown; It’s Official: Don’t Look for MLB Until Memorial Day; MLB Teams Order Non-Roster Players Home, Shut Down Workouts; More MLB Teams Announce Plans to Aid Game-Day Employees; Telecommuting in Baseball’s Front Offices the New Reality; MLB, MiLB Season Openers Could Be Delayed to May; Surprise! Spring Training’s Canceled. What’s Next?; MLB Season Delayed For Two Weeks, MiLB Season Indefinitely