Reliever Roberto Osuna is close to agreeing to a one-year contract with Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines for the 2023 season, per Enrique Rojas of ESPN.
Osuna began the 2022 season playing in the Mexican League for the Diablos Rojos del México, tossing 13 1/3 innings of three-run ball while striking out 15 batters and earning six saves, before joining the Marines for the second half of the season. Once in Japan, he threw 32 2/3 innings of 1.37 ERA ball, posting a 37:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, earning sixteen saves, and allowing only a single home run.
Osuna, who will be 28-years-old during the 2023 season, hasn’t appeared in a major league game since 2020, when he was outrighted off the Astros’ roster. Osuna had missed much of that season with an elbow injury that limited him to only four appearances. The injury initially came with a recommendation of Tommy John surgery, but a second opinion led him to rebab instead. Now, with two consecutive years of pitching more than 45 innings, Osuna appears fully recovered.
Osuna served a 75-game suspension in 2018 for violating the MLB – MLBPA Domestic Violence Policy. A member of the Blue Jays at that time, he was arrested in Canada and charged with the assault of his then-girlfriend. He later agreed to a one-year peace bond, with the alleged victim withdrawing the charges to resolve the criminal case.
Per the Canadian Department of Justice’s website, peace bonds are generally used when “an individual (the defendant) appears likely to commit a criminal offence, but there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has actually been committed.” The Canadian Department of Justice further adds that peace bonds are obtainable by “any person who fears that another person may injure them, their spouse or common-law partner, or a child, or may damage their property.”
It’s unclear if any major league club has shown interest in bringing Osuna back state-side this offseason. There’s little question of his on-field effectiveness when he is healthy, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll get another MLB opportunity at any point down the line.
Osuna is scum. Asterisks were shameful when they last brought him into the fold.
Sosa was a scum druggie. Only on a crappy organization like the Cubs would he be celebrated.
Sosa and McGwire saved baseball after the strike dampened fan interest. But Sosa was a cheater, so no way does he belong in the HOF. Steroids, corked bat, etc. But I would still take cheater over the guy who committed domestic violence against the mother of his child.
Thank God him and Jeff Luhnow are no longer with the Astros.
That doesn’t make cheating right! It’s absurd how you look at things. I would much rather have my children be involved in a camera cheating scandal then doing steroids which have been proven to damage your body! You are irresponsible!
McGwire was a bigger cheater and even did commercials for Andro. Which may have killed teenagers. He’s scum
Lol once all of his draft choices and signings have moved on, you Astros fans will want him back… believe me, Jeff luhnow is a one of a kind baseball mind….. he signed Framber Valdez and Christain Vazquez for 10k each…. MLB thought that should be illegal so they scapegoated him before they were instrumental in winning a world series
About that, Sosa had charges filed against him in 1990 against him of domestic violence against his wife at the time involving a baseball bat and a bottle of rum. Charges were dropped of course
Long time steroid user here. Steroid increase testosterone 300-700%, andro maybe 10%, andro did not kill kids,
It wasnt cheating. It wanst againt the rules at the time.
Chopchop. The fact that these aren’t over-the-counter drugs and require a prescription shouldn’t have to be in the rule book. If they came back with, “my doctor prescribed it” I’d be more understanding of the “not against the rules” argument. What they did and how they did it was illegal in a federal level.
I agree Hippyripper
Guys guys guys… they’re both terrible. Doesn’t make it better to say someone else is worse.
Don’t you dare compare someone taking PEDs to someone who beat the crap out of his wife
*blissfully ignores Roger Clemens playing for the Astros.
The Cubs kept Addison Russell when they knew he was beating up his wife for years! You are a joke!
Uh no
I agree that they should have got rid of Addison sooner.
Employing 1 scum is better than 2 scums in Sosa and Russell. But hey, at least the Astros aren’t irrelevant like those loveable losers on the north side lolol
But are you counting the scum in the Astro’s front office that kept chanting “thank god we got Osuna” at a female reporter?
He was removed, plus his case was dismissed unlike Chapman or Marcel Osuna’s
Chapman open fired into his girlfriend’s home and beat her. Marcel Ozuna almost suffocated his wife. R Osuna’s case was thrown out by Canadian courts. Are we saying the Astaire the bad guys? Marcel was stopped by police from murdering his wife. Chapman was stopped by his neighbors after he fired off shots into his own garage trying to kill his wife. “Orange team bad” idiots
Holy crap he tore up the NPB lmaooo
Awful person, but obviously still a very talented pitcher
I will admit he was bad but was a amazing closer.
So is Addison Russell who you all kept when knowing he was constantly beating up his wife in front of their children!
Or…..it’s a testament to the difference in quality of competition in the NPB. Perhaps he is not as good as his NPB numbers reflect.
Hits and pitches
I see what you did.
If Aroldis Chapman and Marcel Ozuna are still allowed to play, I don’t see why teams are shunning Roberto Osuna.
I’d imagine MLB teams have looked into his assault and it’s as bad as it is rumored to be. And it’s rumored he really beat the crap out of her.
I’d also imagine a rival team wouldn’t be above leaking those findings once Osuna signed.
I’m shocked Ozuna can still play, btw.
Agreed. The only reason he was out was because of his elbow injury and his reluctance to go on a TJ. On field performance outweigh off-field transgressions, in any sport, .
Jesus, Ozuna did very little. Marcel, that is. He pushed his crazy wife away from him by her neck. That is what the body cam showed. Give it a rest.
When police showed up she was off her feet pinned to the wall. Minor
How does Japan feel about “men” who abuse women? Good riddance
I would have preferred another paragraph or 2 on the “Canadian Justice Department” and the merits of “Peace Bonds.”
The author missed his chance to have an article about WAR and Peace.
A peace bond is a protection order. It’s used usually by the courts when an individual (defendant) is likely to commit a criminal offense, even if there isn’t any grounds to believe that an offense has been committed. Whatever the heck that means, sounds like a restraining order. Ha
“Sounds like a restraining order” hahahahahahah
Yeah. Sounds like a GOOD thing almost by definition….Thanks for the hard info Balk haha
I don’t mean to point out the obvious but I’m sure Google knows the answer TJ
I didn’t really want to know I was just messing around.
It was a way for her to keep him away while not completely shutting off the financial resources for her son.
That’s how it was explained to me.
She moved from Toronto to Mexico after he beat her so I’m not sure how much the bond really mattered.
A way for her to keep him away while not completely shutting off financial resources for “her son,” huh? Yeah, that was it.
He makes no money in prison and she was leaving him anyway.
Considering she’s raising a he boy on her own, he’s her son. I do hope she has or found better male role models for him so the pattern of abuse doesn’t repeat.
Yeah, this entire sentence left me scratching my head: “…peace bonds are generally used when ‘an individual (the defendant) appears likely to commit a criminal offence, but there are no reasonable grounds to believe that an offence has actually been committed.’ ”
Haha…exactly.
@rob
They haven’t committed a crime yet, but it’s believed by the applicant that they will commit a crime against them, or damage their property
But the justice system here is terrible
And we still wonder how Chapman stuck around while Osuna was shunned.
Marcel Ozuna also…
Did Chapman beat his wife? I know a gun was fired in the garage but did he actually beat her?
Just asking, if he did he should be gone also
He allegedly choked her and fired 8 shots in her direction
Osuna…
Roberto Osuna…
Now that’s a name I’ve not heard in a long time…
A long time.
Don’t forget about Antonio Osuna.
El Cañón
Is he dead? Well not yet anyway. He’s me.
Y’all might find this article extremely enlightening regarding Mr Osuna, I might add wife refused to press charges. As happens often in domestic abuse.
https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/2018/03/13/how-roberto-osuna-came-to-see-el-chapo-as-a-hero.html
007, my favorite quote of his was: “If you are doing something that’s working, you are going to keep doing it right?”
All that B.S. aside about his character, he would be a good arm in the bullpen for many contenders since his arm looks to be healthy after rehabilitation.
Throws 95 mph+, very good control, can close games or be a good 8th inning arm.
Should be pitching in the big leagues.. many bad character guys who’ve done awful things who still played in the big leagues.
The reason the Jays ditched Osuna is because he wouldn’t do anything to correct the issues. Osuna comes from a Mexican gang culture and continues to hang with them in the off-season. It is documented that the Jays asked him to change his lifestyle and those that he called his friends in the off-seasons but he refused.
This is more that just a little character issue and MLB teams know it.
He has MLB level elite baseball talent but buyer beware.
This guy had so much potential, especially having earned 155 career saves by age 25. He may redeem himself in the future, but he has a long way to go.
Trevor Bauer’s future, pitching overseas and never in the MLB again like this guy.
And neither guy should be. Osuna served his suspension and hasn’t had issues since. Bauer has been blackballed because he called out MLB on their BS. Both are jerks but shouldn’t be blackballed like they are.
If business owners believe hiring someone will harm their fan base, and cost them revenue, they have every right to pass on someone who has “served his time”.
https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/nationals/astros-fire-assistant-gm-after-outcry-over-inappropriate-comments-about-osuna
Owners don’t care about their fan base. They care about their money.
Which is what their fans pay to watch the team that the owner owns. If signing an abusive player causes some of the fans to boycott the team then that affects the money the owners make.
Bauer…. yeeeeaaaaahhh that dude should never pitch again in MLB, I don’t care if she asked for the pain or not…. way to far
Maybe he’s being blackballed because he’s a jerk
Yeah I’m sure she asked for a skull fracture.
The truth comes out: you condone violence against women
I’d like to see the redsox sign him
He’s an MLB closer caliber arm but we’ve had enough shenanigans and we don’t need someone who’s as bad of a person as Osuna is. Too much baggage and it would be rewarding someone who doesn’t deserve to be near the MLB again.
*Astros
Chapman and M Ozuna tried to murder their partners and were stopped by the police but their partners were pressured into not pressing charges. The Yankees and Braves sheltered those players
You’re spouting off a lot of misinformation. Chapman didn’t try to murder his partner, he got mad, separated himself from the situation by going into the garage and shooting rounds into the floor. He didn’t shoot at her nor did he choke her.
Ozuna choking his wife was refuted by all parties involved. The police originally reported that he was choking his wife, the body cam and other reports showed Ozuna was restraining his wife, pushing her against the wall with his forearm which was in a cast. It was also reported that his partner was the aggressor.
Neither example makes the players in the right, but what you said was flat out wrong.
The information is all freely available, but do you think most of the people in this comment section are going to do any research? It’s a lot easier to continue spouting incorrect narratives.
You should see some of these guys talk about baseball! It really is some of the most ignorant stuff you’ll ever read.
No replies? Speaks volumes to society. Even this website is biased. Manfred saved face by pointing the finger at Houston. The media does the same
Omg I’m so happy we have ozuna!! Screw you houston
Maybe he just prefers to live in countries where you can slap women around and more likely get away with it than here.