On the day Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred told a wide swath of the sport's staffers that "I fully anticipate baseball will return this season," more than half the teams in the league pledged to pay baseball operations staff through at least the end of May, sources familiar with teams' dealings told ESPN.

Some of the game's biggest-market and highest-revenue teams, including the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and reigning World Series champion Washington Nationals, have not yet given employees assurances of payment through May, according to sources.

Amid a financial crunch that has left some front offices fearing layoffs and furloughs, Manfred told managers, coaches, and other baseball operations workers that he planned to suspend their Uniform Employee Contracts on May 1, according to a copy of the email he sent that was obtained by ESPN.

The teams that informed baseball operations employees that they will receive paychecks through May include the Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays, according to sources.

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