Report: Pujols covering salaries of furloughed Angels staff in Dominican
Albert Pujols is stepping up to aid some of the Los Angeles Angels employees affected by the team's pandemic-related cutbacks.
The future Hall of Fame slugger is covering the salaries of Angels staff members based in the Dominican Republic who were furloughed earlier in June, a source told Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times.
Pujols is covering five months' salary for each of the employees for a total of $180,000, according to Torres.
MLB allowed its clubs to furlough full-time employees in June to help mitigate costs during the league's shutdown, though not every team took such action. The Angels made some of the biggest cuts in baseball, reportedly furloughing their entire scouting department before the 2020 draft, along with other minor-league coaches and player development staff.
The player development workers furloughed by the team included about 90% of staff members at the Angels' academy in Boca Chica, Dominican Republic, a source told Torres.
Pujols signed a 10-year, $240-million contract with the Angels in 2012. The 40-year-old earned $28 million last season and is scheduled to receive a $30-million salary in the final year of his deal.
The three-time MVP is the latest baseball star to help his team's employees amid cutbacks stemming from the coronavirus. Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price previously donated $1,000 to each minor leaguer in the Dodgers' organization.
Angels owner Arte Moreno, who bought the team in 2003, is worth $3.3 billion, according to Forbes.