Headlines

  • Lucas Giolito Converts Club Option To Mutual Provision
  • Yordan Alvarez To Miss Time With “Pretty Significant” Ankle Sprain
  • Giants To Promote Bryce Eldridge
  • Mets Moving Sean Manaea To The Bullpen
  • Blue Jays To Promote Trey Yesavage For MLB Debut
  • Dodgers Place Will Smith On Injured List
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Athletics
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Report: Angels Employee Named In Skaggs Drug Case

By Dylan A. Chase | October 12, 2019 at 7:26pm CDT

The tragic passing of Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs cast a pall over much of the 2019 MLB season, as fans, teammates, and team employees struggled to make sense of the promising player’s untimely end. Unfortunately, today’s report from ESPN’s T.J. Quinn indicates that the federal investigation into Skaggs’ death is foreshadowing troubling new developments (link).

According to Quinn’s report, an Angels public relations employee named Eric Kay allegedly told federal investigators that he provided Skaggs with oxycodone for several years. Apparently, Kay admitted that two Angels officials were made aware of Skaggs’ drug use “long before his death”, and provided Drug Enforcement Administration agents with the names of five other players who he believed were using opiates while they were Angels. Quinn cites “two sources familiar with the investigation” as the basis for this report.

Kay is accused of also telling investigators that his provision of drugs to Skaggs was part of a longstanding arrangement between the two men, in which Kay would acquire drugs for both he and Skaggs, with Skaggs covering the costs involved. Kay’s attorney, a man named Michael Molfetta, confirmed to Quinn the details of Kay’s statements, which were given in separate meetings with DEA agents in Dallas and Los Angeles in late September.

Unfortunately, this report seems to ally with allegations made by Tyler Skaggs’ family in the immediate aftermath of his death. In late August, the family issued a statement that read: “We were shocked to learn that [Skaggs’s death] may involve an employee of the Los Angeles Angels. We will not rest until we learn the truth about how Tyler came into possession of these narcotics, including who supplied them.”

If the details of Quinn’s report are verified over time, then the family’s statement may have been the first missive in a saga that could have far-reaching implications. We have already heard that Major League Baseball and the player’s union are considering new wrinkles in the league’s drug policy, including efforts to prevent opioid-related tragedies like Skaggs’ passing. It remains to be seen what consequences the Los Angeles organization could face if, as alleged in Quinn’s report, team officials were aware of Skaggs’ illicit drug use. Back in late August, an MLB spokesperson indicated to Bill Shaikin of the LA Times that the league planned to look into the family’s allegations of team involvement.

Kay is said to have worked as the Director of Communications for the Angels for several years; he is currently in outpatient treatment for substance abuse and has been placed on paid leave from the Angels, according to Quinn’s report.

Skaggs was found dead on Jul 1 in a Dallas-area hotel room, with “alcohol, fentanyl and oxycodone intoxication with terminal aspiration of gastric contents” cited as the cause of death by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s office. He was 27 years old at the time of his death.

Share 0 Retweet 11 Send via email0

Los Angeles Angels Tyler Skaggs

Quick Hits: Maxwell, Lorenzen, Bauer, Manfred
Main
AL Notes: Yankees, Astros, Red Sox
Comments Closed

10 Comments

  1. sherlock_

    6 years ago

    No comment

    • bklynny67

      6 years ago

      You literally just commented…

  2. GOP Lizards

    6 years ago

    I thought the Gestapo at MLB Baseball Rumors were not allowing comment on this issue? Change of heart?

    • HubcapDiamondStarHalo

      6 years ago

      I’d say jerk comments like the one you just made are a major reason why comments get shut off.

  3. stubby66

    6 years ago

    Either way whatever is found out or happens this is a tragedy now let’s learn from it so we can save others lives

  4. StandUpGuy

    6 years ago

    I keep reading on the news that there were 5 other Angels players that also did the same thing. They were named as well. Does anyone have any idea who they were?

  5. FishyHalo

    6 years ago

    Eppler should be let go. ASAP. This is just a complete disgrace to the organization.

    If the communication director knew, Eppler knew. He should be fired.

  6. rocky7

    6 years ago

    Not to let the Angels organization off the hook but at least 2 years on Oxy and who knows what else by Skaggs, and his family had no clue he had a significant problem?
    Now they will not rest until they find out the truth!

  7. macstruts

    6 years ago

    When Hamilton took cocaine, Moreno ate 70 million dollars of the contract and Hamilton never played for the Angels again. The Angels have not taken in a single known PED free agent.. The Angels have never extended a single known PED user.

    I doubt anyone in power knew anything. It’s just not the Angels method of operation.

  8. Asfan0780

    6 years ago

    I feel totally sorry for thw wife, kid and his parents but thia seemed to be an addiction issue. Considering his extensive injury history in baseball and downtime always having to rehab injuries, i wonder if that led to the drug addiction to medicate.

Comments for this post have been closed by the site administrator.

    Top Stories

    Lucas Giolito Converts Club Option To Mutual Provision

    Yordan Alvarez To Miss Time With “Pretty Significant” Ankle Sprain

    Giants To Promote Bryce Eldridge

    Mets Moving Sean Manaea To The Bullpen

    Blue Jays To Promote Trey Yesavage For MLB Debut

    Dodgers Place Will Smith On Injured List

    Dipoto: Mariners Interested In Re-Signing Josh Naylor

    Anthony Volpe Playing Through Partial Labrum Tear

    Orioles Promoted Mike Elias Prior To 2025 Season

    Anthony Rizzo Retires

    Cubs Place Kyle Tucker On Injured List

    Blue Jays Place Bo Bichette On Injured List

    Phillies Place Trea Turner, Alec Bohm On Injured List

    Sean Murphy To Undergo Hip Surgery

    Trea Turner To Undergo MRI Due To Hamstring Strain

    Davey Johnson Passes Away

    Mets Option Kodai Senga

    NPB’s Kazuma Okamoto, Tatsuya Imai Expected To Be Posted For MLB Teams

    Shelby Miller Likely Headed For Tommy John Surgery

    Red Sox To Place Roman Anthony On Injured List

    Recent

    Angels Outright Chad Wallach

    Poll: Luis Robert Jr.’s Option

    Lucas Giolito Converts Club Option To Mutual Provision

    Brewers Place Jose Quintana On IL Due To Calf Strain

    Sandy Alcantara Is Finding His Old Form

    Rays Acquire Marshall Toole As PTBNL From José Caballero Trade

    Braves Claim Carson Ragsdale

    Royals Activate Cole Ragans From 60-Day Injured List

    Tigers Notes: Skubal, Bullpen, Vierling

    MLB Mailbag: Cardinals, Orioles, Astros, Schwarber, Casas

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Every MLB Trade In July
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • 2026-27 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version