Rangers executives expected to be christening their brand new stadium this week.

Instead, a group of top executives agreed to temporary pay cuts in hopes of saving other jobs in the organization for as long as possible, sources said Friday. The decision was made to protect lower-level positions from layoffs or furloughs for the time being. With all professional sports shut down, it is unclear when baseball will begin its season, if it does at all.

The reductions, which will go into place Monday, are expected to result in pay cuts of about 20% for the top executive staff. All those affected have been notified. The principal club owners, Ray Davis, Neil Leibman and Bob Simpson do not draw salaries, even though Davis functions as managing partner. At the top of the executive chart is Jon Daniels, the president of baseball operations and general manager.

Club officials declined to comment on the decision.

Last week, MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to a host of initiatives on the labor front that included owners fronting players about $170 million (which works out to about $5.6 million per team) in salary over the next two months. The sides also agreed to a reconfigured amateur draft later this season; that plan will limit the number of rounds and greatly reduce the upfront bonus money given to drafted players.

Owners also agreed to donate $1 million per team to a fund to pay hourly stadium workers for wages lost early in the season.

According to ESPN, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has urged clubs not to lay off or furlough employees in April, but the report said teams are bracing for the possibility of salary cuts, furloughs, deferred payments or layoffs in May if the start of the season remains in limbo.

According to a report from The Athletic, four of the five teams in California sent notices to their employees providing advance notice of potential workforce reduction. That notice complies with an executive order issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Briefly: LHP James Jones will not play in 2020 if there is a season. The reliever, who had remained in Arizona after spring training was stopped, tripped over one of his son’s toys this week and and tore the patella tendon in his knee, which required surgery.

-- LHP Mike Minor’s wife, Kristen, gave birth to the couple’s third child, a daughter, this week.

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