MLB News: Players Association announces financial assistance program for non-roster players

The MLB Players Association made another good move on Friday announcing a program that will provide supplemental income to non-roster players with prior Major League experience. Under the program, players with at least a day of service time that were in Major League camp during spring training on a non-roster deal as of March 13 will be eligible to receive between $5,000 and $50,000 depending on their level of experience.

The program is optional so players with ample financial security can choose to opt out. This will cover players who were left out of last week’s $170 million settlement with the league that would be paid in the event that the 2020 season is canceled because they are not currently on a 40-man roster.

Keith Law | The Athletic: There is some concern at the minor league level that Major League Baseball might try to use the shutdown as further leverage in their negotiations with MiLB. While those talks have been pushed to the back burner, it is still fresh on a lot of minor league owners’ minds.

Jay Jaffe | FanGraphs: Jaffe writes about how the pandemic has pushed the Astros sign stealing scandal into the background. Fear not, with the league’s report on the Red Sox pending, the outrage could resurface soon.

Ken Rosenthal | The Athletic: Rosenthal talks with former Major League pitcher Matt Moore who is looking to rekindle his career in Japan this season.