With recent news articles being published surrounding the MLB’s treatment of players who have committed criminal offenses, a question becomes posed: How has the MLB enlisted substantial consequences for their player’s actions? Just over a month ago, Julio Urías was arrested for domestic violence. A few weeks before that, Wander Franco was being charged for having relationships with underage girls. Marcell Ozuna has been charged with DUI and domestic violence, yet remains in the league. The issue of domestic violence and other issues relating to relationships is a big problem in MLB. Many people believe that the consequences are detrimental, but there is a scarcity or rather lack thereof for these players.
There have been quite a few recent cases of domestic violence and other arrests in MLB. The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher, Julio Urias, was charged with domestic violence in 2019, and again in 2023. While he does not seem to have a particularly angry personality, he did assault his girlfriend in 2019, which says more than enough. Following this, Tampa Bay’s current shortstop, Wander Franco, has been accused this year of having relationships with underage girls. The 22-year-old was known to have an electric, albeit coming off a bit arrogant. Marcell Ozuna has been arrested for DUI and has also been charged with domestic violence. He is the Atlanta Braves designated hitter and has been a member of the team since 2020. Marco is said to have a loud outgoing personality, which led to another issue with a different player this year. Trevor Bauer has been charged with sexual assault, which now is looking like a messier situation than once believed. Before the sexual assault allegations surfaced, Trevor Bauer was a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers for less than a year. While his sexual assault case has been a complex situation, his previous actions don’t help. He is said by teammates to be arrogant, and his on-field antics prove that. One time when angry on the field he turned around and chucked the ball over the center field wall, demonstrating his bad sportsmanship.
A commonality between these players is how it seems the MLB forgot about their prior offenses and has allowed them to still remain a part of the organization. Marcell Ozuna returned to baseball. Wander Franco may return, as may Julio Urias. Julio Urias did play in the league after his first charge. His first charge, in 2019, he was arrested for domestic battery. He returned to the league after a 20-game suspension and a domestic violence counseling program.
The consequences for these players are insufficient. Usually, teams release a statement, a player is suspended, then in a lot of cases, they can play again. However, most teams don’t want to have their player return, but they still have to pay their contracts. A lot of teams can’t afford to lose a player and have to pay them, resulting in their return. Like in Julio Urias’ case, he went to a counseling program, which had no major changes to the person he once was. The inconsistency of these players returning is alarming, as they have all committed awful crimes, and should be punished accordingly.
The MLB needs to change the consequences for these players. Teams should be able to terminate the contract after any form of arrest or violence. Some teams have morality clauses, but they need to be more clear in stating that if you do something illegal, your contract can be terminated. Every team and every contract needs this. Having these clauses would increase players not being allowed in the MLB after arrest, ensuring an overall better look and feel for the Major League Baseball Organization.
