On Monday Major League Baseball will inform teams of a decision that will give clubs greater flexibility in dealing with non-playing personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Effective May 1, Commissioner Rob Manfred will suspend Uniform Employee Contracts, enabling teams to furlough employees or reduce their pay.

This would provide the possibility of relief to teams who could have financial issues while the 2020 season remains on hold.

Manfred has the ability to withhold pay in the event of a national emergency, and after President Donald Trump declared one on March 13, players and owners reached an agreement two weeks later on how payment would work in the event of a shortened or canceled season.

Rosenthal notes that a club’s non-playing personnel includes managers and coaches at both the major- and minor-league levels, some front-office staffers and scouts.

Adding, "Once baseball suspends the contracts of those employees, clubs can talk to them about a variety of adjustments, including the deferral of pay, sources said. The suspension will allow clubs to continue those employees’ health benefits."

Recently, Manfred informed league staff they would be paid through May 31 while also stating that he and other senior employees would see their salaries reduced by an average of 35 percent.

“As part of our effort to protect the organization, my senior staff and I have decided to reduce our compensation by an average of 35% for 2020 to help the organization weather this terrible storm,” Manfred wrote in a memo, which described cost-cutting efforts.

“As a result of these developments, I am pleased to be in a position to ensure that all employees that received regular pay checks in April will continue to be paid through May 31,” he wrote. “I am deeply grateful to the owners for supporting my decision to continue to support all of our employees in an environment where the owners and the clubs are facing their own very difficult financial issues.”