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The MLS Players Union has yet to reveal the 2013 MLS player salaries, but we got our first bit of salary related news this afternoon. Chris Klein has told Grant Wahl that Landon Donovan will not be paid during his sabbatical:
Landon Donovan not being paid by LA Galaxy during self-imposed sabbatical, LA president Chris Klein tells me. Could cost LD $400K.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) February 24, 2013
That salary figure is both specific and non-specific. It is reached by simply taking Donovan's reported salary from last year ($2,400,000) dividing it by 12 (the number of months in a year) and then multiplying by two (the number of months he'll miss in the 2013 season). (link to salary information)
Of course, Donovan could have been scheduled to get a raise on the last year of his contract, which explains the could. It could cost Donovan $400k. It could cost him a bit more. Wahl continues:
To answer the follow-up question: Donovan will count his usual number against the LA Galaxy salary cap this season.
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) February 24, 2013
There really wouldn't be any reason for him not to count against the salary budget at his usual number. Donovan is a Galaxy player with a contract, counting against the roster and the salary cap, on leave no differently than when players are released for national team duty. Except those players still get paid.
Furthermore, the DP charge is the same no matter how much over the DP limit the player is paid. So missing out on money won't affect the number at which he appears against the salary budget.
Donovan is scheduled to return to the LA Galaxy at the end of March.