Major League Baseball announced Tuesday morning that Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano has been declared permanently ineligible for violating the league’s sports betting rules and policies — specifically Rule 21(d)(2). Per this morning’s press release:
In March 2024, MLB learned from a legal sports betting operator that it had identified past baseball betting activity from accounts connected to multiple Major and Minor League players. MLB obtained data from that operator and other sportsbooks, including authentication data for bets. None of these players played in any game on which they placed a bet. Further, all of the players denied that they had any inside information relevant to the bets or that any of the baseball games they bet on were compromised or manipulated, and the betting data does not suggest that any outcomes in the baseball games on which they placed bets were compromised, influenced, or manipulated in any way. None of the players are appealing their discipline.
Under Major League Rule 21, “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.” Whereas, “Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.”
MLB’s investigation found that from Oct. 16-23, 2022 and from July 12 to November 1, 2023, Marcano placed 387 bets on baseball, including 25 bets on Pirates games where he was a member of Pittsburgh’s roster. All 25 of those Pirates bets came while Marcano was rehabbing from a season-ending ACL tear, so he did not appear in any of the games in question. The bets nonetheless violate the league policy and have thus triggered the lifetime ban.
The league’s investigation found that Marcano placed more than $150K worth of bets on baseball. Most of the bets in question were parlays, some including his own (at the time) Pirates club. Marcano’s bets typically involved the Pirates winning the game or were over/under bets on the number of runs scored within the game.
Major League Baseball also announced that Athletics right-hander Michael Kelly, Diamondbacks lefty Andrew Saalfrank, Padres minor league pitcher Jay Groome and Phillies minor league infielder Jose Rodriguez have been given one-year bans for violating Rule 21(d)(1). All four players were found to have made bets on Major League Baseball games but were not on the Major League roster or injured list of any teams involved in the bets they placed.
Kelly, 31, is an active member of the Athletics’ bullpen and has pitched to a 2.59 ERA in 31 1/3 innings this season. His bets were all placed in Oct. 2021, when the right-hander was with the Astros’ Triple-A affiliate. He made only ten bets for a total of $99.92, with three of those bets coming on games involving the Astros’ big league club during the postseason. Despite the meager total of Kelly’s bets, his gambling activity was a violation of the rule in place and will trigger that one-year ban.
Similarly, each of Saalfrank ($445), Groome ($453) and Rodriguez ($749) bet under $1,000 on Major League games back in 2020-21. All were minor league players at the time — Saalfrank with Arizona’s Low-A team, Groome with the Red Sox’ High-A affiliate and Rodriguez with the White Sox’ Double-A club.
Commissioner Rob Manfred issued the following statement on today’s suspensions:
“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans. The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century. We have been clear that the privilege of playing in baseball comes with a responsibility to refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people. Since the Supreme Court decision opened the door to legalized sports betting, we have worked with licensed sports betting operators and other third parties to put ourselves in a better position from an integrity perspective through the transparency that a regulated sports betting system can provide. MLB will continue to invest heavily in integrity monitoring, educational programming and awareness initiatives with the goal of ensuring strict adherence to this fundamental rule of our game.”
MLBTR readers can view the league’s entire press release, which contains further specifics on the nature of each player’s bets, in its entirety at MLB.com.
With all of the ads for BetMGM and Draft Kings, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more of this in the near future.
Such a dumb take. They should know better.
How in the world is that a dumb take? Yes they should know better (or bettor for the pun), but we are seeing more and more of these stories across sports.
You’re seeing more and more of these stories because gambling is becoming legalized throughout the country, not because they saw a commercial. Most people don’t purchase everything they see in commercials.
Actually there’s a strong connection between displaying addictive things such as alcohol drugs gambling etc and people engaging in those activities more often. If commercials didn’t work they wouldn’t spend billions each year playing them.
Imagine someone using this statement:
“Cops see drugs and drug users all the time, it’s not a surprise that they end up using drugs themselves.”
If you’re in a position of importance like players are in baseball, this mistake is inexcusable. It’s not like it’s a hidden rule or something players aren’t completely aware of.
Dumb take. The fact that cops see drug users all the time should make them want to do them less. Most drug users are methed out losers with no teeth and criminal records. Betting ads make it seem glamorous and fun. Much like old smoking ads that are now banned and like alcohol ads still are.
cwizzy – Let’s not have a fan duel here.
I can see both sides. as BOTH the players and MLB should be held accountable.
Realistically, probably many players have runners betting on games …. usually close friends or relatives that they can trust. Just like the stock market, the money is too tempting when you have inside information. Marcano etc were just fools for placing the bets themselves.
Cops get the best drugs.
Dotnet
“Most drug users are methed out losers with no teeth and criminal records.”
Not at all sure that this is true
Yeah! I have one tooth left!
Bad analogy is bad
Gambling ads say if you gamble you can win insane amounts of money life changing amounts for just a few dollars
Weed cigarette nicotine adds say if you smoke you’ll be cool look cool people will like you.
Same with alcohol ads. They show people drinking partying with handsome guys hot girls and having a good time.
Maybe if ads showed people’s bank accounts after gambling, health records and pics of lungs after smoking, and people’s livers and health records after drinking it’d be less attractive.
Maybe if ads showed people’s bank accounts after gambling, health records and pics of lungs after smoking,
==========================
The gov’t is too busy collecting taxes and trying to look cool to bother doing PSAs with the tax they collect.
I’m fairly libertarian irt drugs, but if we are taxing the product, we should be warning against its use.
MLB should know better. You cant be taking money from gambling and saying tsk tsk tsk when it happens.
Gambling isn’t what got them in trouble. Gambling on baseball is. They were free to give any or all of their paychecks to Draftkings as long as they bet on something else besides baseball.
Though I admit it isn’t a good look for MLB to get in bed with gambling.
Joe – That’s exactly it, MLB is encouraging it knowing full well that degenerate gamblers are highly competitive and so are their players.
It’s like bordellos are legal in Humbolt County Nevada, does that mean the local Humbolt County chapter of Girl Scouts should accept sponsorship money from the bordellos?
Oh, you ain’t seen nothing yet…just wait. Ahahaha!
It’s not dumb at all. It’s a fact we will see more and more because everything is about gambling now and it’s legal to do. It’s easy to do so players will….
Pads Fan84: Just like all of those “Don’t drink & drive” or the “Don’t do drugs” or the throwback commercial “This is your brain, (an egg)”. Followed by “This is your brain on drugs”, (an egg put in a hot pan w frying sound).
@prospectnvstr
I don’t remember the egg sizzling commercial but I do remember the one with the girl in her 20’s smashing the egg and the house up drug commercials. And the always very effective “just say no”
This is like waving alcohol ads in front of an alcoholic, and then blaming the guy when he gives in and takes a drink.
They should know better? Like PED’s, domestic violence, DUI’s and pedophilia? I’d wager all of these infections are perpetrated by someone that “knows better.” The only dumb take is yours.
Honestly this gambling is getting out of hand. It’s not good for people, society,or an economy. I wish people would stop calling degenerative behavior progress.
LGBTQ+ identity is not harmful. You’re just a garbage bigot with a garbage take.
MWeller: To whom are you tantrumming your high-gullibility idiocy and defamation?
You’d think.
So should have the Black Sox and Pete Rose, which is why seeing ads for Draft Kings and other gambling concerns inside MLB ballparks just serves to remind us that Judge Landis and Bart Giamatti stated without equivocation that gambling was verboten in baseball. Taking ad money from gambling concerns is a breach of baseball’s longheld proscription against gambling — IOW, MLB wins the award for sports hypocrisy. So, instead of coming to grips with their own cravenness, MLB looks the other way, and then, oh by the way, screws Marcano for the rest of his life. I get it: Marcano did wrong, but MLB and that idiot commish Manfred — who thinks his nose should be in the business of state election politics (?) — are a part of the problem, not, currently, a solution.
I don’t think they bet on baseball because they saw an ad for DraftKings. Advertisements aren’t that effective. They know the rules, they broke them. They knew the penalty for breaking the rules.
Advertisements are VERY effective. WTF are you talking about?
Not really. See prohibition
Look tbf prohibition 1.0 (alcohol) didn’t work out so well, we’ll call that a learning mistake, but 2.0 (war on drugs)is going very well as long as look at my cherry picked stats
I agree. It seems pretty hypocritical for MLB to go this hard on players despite fully embracing gambling culture into the league’s DNA.
Not sure you understand the meaning of the word “hypocritical”.
Steve – So what you’re saying is MLB should also receive income for the advertising and promoting of steroids manufacturers …… is that right?
You don’t want to hold MLB accountable for anything that goes against the best interest of the game, is that right?
What a shame, Marcano only needed 4,168 more career hits and 5,989 winning bets to tie Pete Rose.
While it might seem reasonable to waive suspensions considering the amounts were trivial and the players were in the minors at the time, that would open up accusations of selective enforcement. No, a bright line forbidding gambling on baseball needs to be enforced. No exceptions, no ambiguity,
Kids that’s why it’s important to hire an interpreter and not play for a small market team.
The scumbags who control MLB have turned it into a gambling league, take in countless millions in revenue from degenerates who run gambling organizations, and simultaneously ban players who gamble.
It’s a sick world.
Idiots.
There’s on cardinal rule and this is the punishment for breaking it.
“In connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform”. He was on the IL, he couldn’t perform. I know he was betting on his own team and not saying it’s right, but couldn’t a lawyer win this on appeal due to legalese speak?
No, because it should be pretty well known not to bet on baseball, especially a team you’re employed on. Have you ever heard of Pete Rose? Lol
Pete who?
Ross
Still uniformed personnel, plus he had inside information on how his teammates were doing physically, late scratches and so forth. I’m not sure there’s much hope there.
Maybe, but I suspect the players union and the player’s reps were involved in the outcome.
Not a lawyer, but I think “duty to perform” could include rehabbing the injury, attending meetings, and other duties that don’t necessarily involve getting at-bats or throwing pitches in a game. I think the key here is that he was on the team, and thus had privileged information.
But Ohtani is innocent!
Sure was swept under the rug with record speed for something so major, wasnt it?
Wild how Ohtani was protected as quickly as the other 29 teams after the sign stealing scandal. MLB doesn’t really care about enforcing their own rules, just using their discretion to ensure the smaller teams have less opportunity to win.
Ohtani is over here saying “what you guys can’t afford a fall guy”
Yes! This proves Ohtani is guilty.
Ohtani next?
I wouldn’t bet on it
But Ohtani would.
That’s the top comment right there
But would he take the over or under
Never happen. Like with Kobe and Jordan in the NBA. They can’t afford to lose their meal ticket.
Is there proof of JOrdan?
The urban legend out there is that Michael Jordan was going to be banned by David Stern for gambling for a season or two (Michael supposedly had accrued huge debts from it) so he decided to retire and announce he was going to play baseball during the time he would have been suspended.
Dont you remember when he “tried baseball?”
What a crap show that was lol, he was only with the Sox because that year the were horrible and mj put a’es in seats. Goat of a basketball player but definitely not a mlb player
Hope the bet was worth a lifetime loss of millions to play a kids game. I hear Waste Management is hiring.
Kids don’t have 99 MPH pitches buzz your head or have thousands of fans ready to boo you and rake you over the coals
Have you seen a little league game?
As a retired Environment Scientist, I can testify that Waste Management offers lucrative opportunities for those who qualify
People laugh when they see a landfill, for example. I helped to design and construct several and for Waste Management
Make fun to your hearts content but this is a good company to work for whether as an employee or a third party contractor as I was
They skip our commercial pickups all the time. So not a great company to work WITH, in my opinion.
TheMan ever work with Tony soprano lol?
Were you responsible for talking to the guy that knew a guy?
@theman I went to a Holloween party at Mr H’s guest house (which was bigger than most folk’s regular house. Appreciate that he brought baseball to our area but the fire sale after 97WS was not appreciated by most.
There’s always someone who says a dumb thing like “kids game”.
If Marcano had been a superstar and two way player, would he have been permanently suspended from playing baseball?
No.
Yes.
Maybe?
No, and they even provide a convenient fall guy.
Null solution.
Tucupita Marcano will never be in the hall of fame now?!
Feels like they are trying to make an example of him. If he’s not on the active roster and able to influence the outcome of the game it doesn’t seem like he deserves a lifetime ban. But he was barely a big leaguer anyways so there was a decent chance he wasn’t going to be a big leaguer regardless of the suspension.
Stupid take. He still has full access to strategy, metrics, and his teammates.
Strategy???
He’s a minor league nobody. What inside information could he really have?
Did he win the bets he placed?
There may be truth to this. I expect betting companies really don’t like the idea of current players betting on games with a lot of cash coupled with inside knowledge of the game. I expect it proves pivotal come discussion time about sponsorship payments as they could use it as an example of why they should be paying less money (call it brokering a deal by showcasing negatives).
In turn MLB gets concerned because it threatens to affect their revenue stream. Hence why they might choose to give out big punishments like this to make an example out of players when relatively bigger issues such as domestic abuse are given less stringent penalties. I also think this came at just about the perfect time after the Ohtani incident as they’ve gone very heavy handed and it was probably because of all the negative attention that brought (I’m not saying Ohtani was guilty, just the whole thing was a ‘problem’ for MLB and they needed to lay down a marker).
Make of this what you will – it’s merely an opinion.
I love Kelly because he’s able to go multiple innings and he’s bridged to the Erceg-Miller tandem countless times this year.
I’m glad he got suspended. He deserves it.
by the way now we know why the a’s selected nittoli
Kelley lost millions over betting a total of less than 100.00. Can’t get any dumber than that
Maybe we will find out it was Marcano’s interpreter.
But then again, Tuc isn’t too big to fail.
His name is Tucupita and he was born in Tucupita Venezuela. What are the odds on that? I bet they aren’t good….
I once knew a girl named Teléphoné who was named after a telephone.
Jason Castro was born in Castro Valley, CA!
I dealt with a store manager in Florida with the name Usnavy. The name of the boat that picked his family up.
Lol
gotta be at least 3/1
The Molina brothers grew up in “The Town of the Squatters” in Puerto Rico.
Tommy Tune was a great singer
Lol. I would respect it more if he were betting on his own team to lose. Risking your livelihood to bet on an Anaheim/Boston wednesday night game? There is zero rush in doing that, unless you bet 6 figures on a game
Kind of bummed that I might never see another dude named Tucupita taking a Major League at bat.
Manfraud brought Draft Kings and Bet MGM into MLB and now wants to act mad people are betting. MLB network literally has the money line for each game in its ticker on the bottom of the screen every day. You have Russo (who was supposed to quit when the DBacks won) talking moneylines and Parlays. Hell they even have shows dedicated to betting on baseball. ManFraud got in bed with the bookies and now wants to act mad. What a pair of clown shoes that man is.
On the positive side for the Padres Groome clears a 40 man spot. He gives up like 8 runs a start so it’s not like he was cracking the ML roster.
The seriousness of betting on MLB as a player is highlighted on Day One with a roster. Is it hypocritical of MLB to be in bed with betting sites? Perhaps, but the idiocracy falls to the players involved. They knew the gamble, and now Tucupita is gone for good. He should have stuck to NFL, NBA and NHL bets… just never MLB.
Just deflecting away from Otani.
This. A million times this. Manfred is the master of turning rule breaking into our problem as fans of the game.
the amount of whataboutism and Ohtani hating here is just nuts. y’all need to go outside more
I tried going outside but Ohtani betting and throwing his interpreter under the bus pulled me back in.
Why? What did Ohtani do?
I don’t think it’s necessarily about what Ohtani did, or didn’t, do. It’s more about the perception of {how} this was handled by MLB. Ohtani was tied directly to illegal gambling (through his own account in the amount of $16MM or whatever). Yet, he wasn’t put on administrative leave, or disciplined, and they didn’t come to any sort of resolution until it was very thoroughly investigated.
Marcano’s story came out and within 24 hours he was suspended for life.
To clarify, I am *not* implying Ohtani was gambling. I am also not dismissing the fact that it was under federal investigation contemporaneously, which resulted in his interpreter owning up after changing his initial story. I’m merely illustrating that the appearance of MLB’s handling between the two is discernible, as is the two players’ statuses relative to the game – hence many have a problem with it.
@ Yank I wont disagree with what you said, only to add to it. MLB knew of these players gambling for months. They spent time to investigate these issues before making these decisions. We simply didn’t know about them until the information leaked at the last min. There were no laws broken for these players.
The issues surrounding Ohtani were brought to light by a federal investigation for ILLEGAL gambling. And Ippei (for some reason) decided that publicly disclosing that information up front was his best play. Ohtani was the victim of a financial crime in which his employee stole money from him. MLB stated that they are keeping a hands off approach to the Ohtani investigation because the US government has more investigative tools at their disposal than MLB does. And will wait for the conclusion of the criminal proceedings first. Rest assured Ippei will still get his lifetime ban as well. And any prosecutor looking to make a name for themself will certainly target Ohtani if there is something there to get.
Sometimes, things really are just what they seem. A degenerate gambler stole money from his employer to pay for more gambling really is what happened. Just because the narrative of this being a cover up for Ohtani by Ippei would be a lot sexier of a story, doesn’t mean it absolutely has to be true. Sometimes there is no conspiracy.
As I noted elsewhere, they want to make an example, so having a mostly unknown like Tucupita Marcano as the example is a win for MLB. They send a message to players without having a big name fall and tarnishing the sport. An argument certainly could have been made, and probably was, that Marcano was on the IL and thus had no impact and should have received a one-year suspension.
Eventually, a current big name will be dragged in because gambling can be an addiction, an illness, for some. They won’t be able to resist.
There already has been a big name dragged into it: his name is Shohei Otani.
They just need a third party to place the bets for them. Then you pay said third party to take the fall. It’s a tried and true method.
Sigh. Being on the IL doesn’t mean he doesn’t have access to strategy or other players who impact the game… duh
Same could be said about the players getting one-year bans.
As I wrote elsewhere, MLB needs to ramp this up and ban ALL betting on all sports. A single bet, a lifetime ban.
I don’t really care too much what happens to these guys, but these are victimless “crimes” and, in most cases, involved a very small sum of money. However, you can abuse your wife or be a cocaine addict and you get put into some sort of rehabilitation program.
I hate the Draft Kings/MGM connection to baseball and it is foolish to think that that culture has not seeped into the lives of those who play the game.
Or you can be falsely accused of a crime by a gold digger, and get blacklisted by the league.
Here it is. If an exceptional talent like Bauer wasn’t run out of clubhouses and a constant pariah, then being blacklisted may ride, but guy has burned so many bridges not having to do with his ongoing legal battles. No one wants to work with that. It’s easy for us sitting on the sidelines thinking he should get another shot when it looks like the league is just fine without him, and it may have nothing to do with what most want to think it is.
This doesn’t hold up because there are SO MANY problem personalities and horrible people in clubhouses playing for major league teams. If you produce, you will play somewhere no matter how unbearable you are. Just look at Tommy Pham.
Bauer is getting punished by MLB for calling them out on all of their BS years ago, it has nothing to do with anything on the field or in the clubhouse.
Pham got 1 year deal on a rebuilding team after the season started after having a decent year last year, highlighted by a nice postseason run, where he was on full display. Don’t think his reputation hasn’t hindered his market. The difference: Pham, to my knowledge, doesn’t have the legal baggage that Bauer has. Combine Bauer’s reputation, years out of the league with age and his legal cases that are still pending…not counting the PR fortification it would take bringing him on — I don’t see many scenarios a team would take that kind of risk, but who knows?
Hear hear. Bauer Out(of MLB) age has nobody to blame but himself.
Kids, remember, don’t bet on baseball or be involved with consensual behavior but don’t worry if you’ve attacking your partner, been in jail or have driven a vehicle under the influence, MLB will welcome you back with open arms.
Spot on
Waaaaaaah another foolish attempt at normalizing Trashy Trevor
I don’t know who Trashy Trevor is. Is he like Oscar the Grouch?
Imagine talking about Trevor from his comment. And rough sex isn’t “trashy”
@SewaldSwansonSwoon
I don’t really care if he returns or not. But if you don’t want bad characters in MLB, it’s time for MLB to get their policy straight and stop allowing some to remain on MLB teams.
So, answer me this, do you support having bad character still employed on MLB teams or not? If you say yes, then you support the return of Bauer, as well.
The hypocricy is deep here.
He should just say someone stole money from their bank account like Ohtani did.
@AllAboutBaseball
The Fed did their investigation and found no wrongdoing on Ohtani’s part. The Fed has no interest in whether Ohtani stays in the league or not.
Younger fans have been introduced to sports through the lens of betting and prefer viewing 3 min recaps over ~3 hour games.
This sort of path invites impulse issues and is conflating a love of gambling and immediate gratification with a love of sport.
Maybe that’s what is required for the survival of sports, but it won’t be long before we question the integrity of outcomes as these sort of instances pile up.
Jay Groome was a high valued prospect out of HS and just didn’t live up to expectations….this is not going to help him.
I think these are hard punishments, especially when you have Ohtani, c’mon “he didn’t know” please.
Jay Groome already had skeletons before he was even drafted.
I heard he won only 4.3% of his bets.
“Marcano’s bets typically involved the Pirates winning the game”
welp, HERE’S your problem!
“Mr. Kelly, as this franchise moves to the former site of a casino, we want you to know that we disavow betting entirely. Your betting, we mean.”
Pete Rose shouldn’t be banned for actions by his interpreter.
In 2016 I was legit mad that Jason Groome fell to #12, i thought he was going to be a Bonafide top end starter with all-star stuff. Then again, I thought Brady Aiken as going to be the next Cole Hamels after watching him in the All American game
Groome was smoke and mirrors. Got out of NJ while still in HS. That alone was a red flag.
This is the zest I needed to wake up to
Only the oligarch franchise owners are allowed to take money from sports betting outfits. The plebs, of course, has to adhere to higher standards than their rulers in order to avoid anarchy on the lower decks..
Lets be real here, no Padres fan knows who this guy is. He may be in our minor leagues, otherwise we dont know him.
Lots of unintelligent “takes” here.
Par for the course
“Ohtani is guilty!
Why?
Because *I* don’t understand…
Oh”
Man, I hope I’m never falsely accused of a crime and have idiots like this on my jury.
97% of commenters here would not qualify for jury duty, so you’re probably safe
Bums get tossed right away, stars receive protection until they retire, once no longer player stars will lose protection. Lack of integrity is obvious
So betting on games is a lifetime ban but if you use PED’s, commit domestic violence or get a DUI, you still get to play? Not saying that players that bet on the game should receive less punishment, just saying, that’s the thing that gets you banned for life? Make it make sense
I can reason it from their perspective, but I’m not so sure it makes sense…. Here goes:
Betting on the game of baseball, if permitted, would have strong implications of impropriety in the games. Therefore, I believe MLB reasons it would hurt them financially because of all the bettors claiming players are throwing games, for example.
I believe MLB of the past simply didn’t want another Black Sox scandal. But in today’s MLB, it’s about the potential for losing profits.
If a player beats his wife, it doesn’t really affect MLB’s bottom line, so I don’t think they care.
Of course, I could be wrong on everything I just wrote…..haha.
breathtaking hypocrisy considering there’s a draftkings logo plastered on the screen every 5 seconds when i watch a game
So you think that since fans can bet, players and umpires should be allowed to bet? Is it also a “breathtaking hypocrisy” that Delta serves their passengers alcohol but won’t allow their pilots to drink on the job?
false equivalency. if you said “you think tony larussa should be allowed to drive drunk 1000 times and keep his job?” you might have something
How so? In both cases, the employee has an official duty that is potentially compromised by the activity. So there are simple rules put into place to ban the activity for employees. It is very common in nearly all professional settings.
Betting on baseball does not cause anybody harm like crashing a plane does. That’s why they decided to legalize it.
Betting on baseball threaten the integrity of the game, that’s why neither players nor MLB itself should be engaged in it.
How does a fan betting threaten the integrity of the game? Players and officials can impact the outcome of the game. It creates a potential conflict or the appearance of a conflict.
All major leagues are heavily endorsed by betting groups.. they could certainly stop taking their endorsement money but they cannot stop legal or illegal betting on their respective sports, even if they wanted to (which they don’t).
And you can find plenty of other examples where nobody could endure physical harm. I work for a publicly traded company and have access to insider information. I go through blackout periods where I cannot trade company stock and have to get approval if I were to ever trade out of stock. Nobody is physically harmed by insider trading.. but it threatens the integrity of the securities markets. There are a different set of rules that apply to me, opposed to the general public.
2 to 1 odds that this will happen again!
Jay Groome? Seems like he started his career back during prohibition.
“I don’t understand why pro sports leagues are SO concerned about the ONLY thing that can destroy a successful pro sports league?!?!?”
I’d like to see all of the other bad things players do be punished more.
I don’t think the leagues should partner with gambling sites.
But, none of that changes the fact that people thinking that the games are fixed is the ONLY thing that can ruin them, so yeah, they police it. As well they should.
He knew the rules. He bet around and found out.
mickey mantle was addicted to alcohol and often played with a hangover, possibly impacting the outcome of games. pete rose was addicted to gambling and there is no evidence his addiction impacted the outcome of any games. both of them belong in the fall of fame
really dumb take
Mantle is in the HOF. Winning a Triple Crown and hitting 536 career homers will do that
Rose belongs in the HOF, not as a manager but for accumulating the most career hits and his 3 batting titles
@dasit
I agree, they both belong in the FALL of Fame. They both fell from fame. Neither should have been in the HOF. It should have been restricted to only TOP performers but the writers turned it into an old boys club instead. The HOF is just another circus show.
This is awfully harsh
I know what they did violates the rules
But how many commercials and how many gambling sites sponsor Baseball teams
To me it is Pure Hypocrisy!!!!!!
They sell beer at the stadiums but the players cant show up to their job drunk. They have minimal restrictions on gambling to prevent it from impacting their job. I fail to see the hypocrisy.
Have you tried opening your eyes
Should have blamed the translator.
I understand not wanting to get gambling too close to the field (ironic because of baseball being in bed with gambling companies) because it could ultimately lead to poor ethical behavior but can we get some more descrimination in the rules? Provide more context. Break things down to different degrees of infraction. Different scenarios should be reflected in different degrees of being barred. I don’t think the strictest penalties fit every case. I get it’s a culture thing. You don’t want to provide much of a leash for fear of consequences but looking in the mirror and seeing MLB as a gambling promotor and profiteer is also wise. There is a relationship here between the rule bearer and the situation being enforced.And the top of that chain is ultimately themselves guilty
So Michael Kelly made $100 in bets and ended up losing over $500,000 in salary. That, my friends, is a bad gambler.
You gotta know when to fold ’em.
Lol, I was just gonna say something like that… didn’t the draft people comp him to Kershaw when he came out? What a fall from grace.
Now Marcano has something that a Hall of Famer does as well! Can’t wait for the ESPN image with Pete Rose and Marcano being the players suspended for gambling permanently, and Stephen A and Perk arguing about if Marcano is a Hall of Famer based on this information.
@Captain K-Mid
ESPN has really fallen since they were bought by Disney. They were a decent sports network in the 90s, though, when their business model was about sports only, not politics.
Tucupita or not to compete in betting on baseball is the question that all MLB players must ask themselves or their interpreters.
If I was a fringe player with not much long term prospects in the pros I would absolutely bet on my team or teammates, or myself. It’s worth the risk of you’re on the way out the door. What are they going do? It’s not illegal so there’s no trouble with the law. Ban you from a game you were already on the way out with? OK.
Terrible take. The guy went from making league minimum of 500k to making nothing. And like everyone else he was probably either breaking even or losing money on betting.
He was already on his way to making nothing. He was injured probably woould’t have been back in the majors anyway.They didn’t play long enough for a meaningful pension. I don’t think all journeymen enjoy the one year deals and constant injuries or playing in the monitors.
He could have invested his $800k salary league minimum or whatever it is. Over a few years and been sitting pretty when he’s done playing. He chose to gamble most away. Incredibly stupid.
A lot of former players stay involved in the game after their playing careers end. Lots of former players are in coaching, scouting or front office positions.
Combine that with the simple fact that the average gambler loses money.. it makes no sense at all.
What about the ones that have no interest in coaching or staying involved in baseball post playing career. And there have to be quite a few.
Wouldn’t it just make more sense to quit at that point? If you are dissatisfied with your career.. why burn a bridge and get yourself permanently banned? Just quit baseball and you can bet all you want.
Where’s Ohtani’s ban? Manfred has permanently damaged this sport beyond repair.
Tucupita, tell me what’s wrong
You’re enchained by your own sorrow
In your eyes, there is no hope for tomorrow
How I hate to see you like this
There is no way you can deny it
I can see that you’re oh, so sad, so quiet
They broke the rules and should have known better. That being said, it is interesting that pro-sports are taking boatloads of money from gambling sites now and then suspending players for doing it. I get it, you want baseball players to bet on everything but baseball. But look at Kelly. He bet less than $100 on the major league affiliate (which he was not playing for) to win games in the post-season. This seems like splitting hairs. If you are not on the roster, bet away. I have not problem with minor league players betting on major league games. Yes we don’t want major league players betting on major league games because you get into fixing. But there needs to be some give and take if baseball is going to collect checks from DraftKings/BetMGM/etc.
They sell beer at the games but that doesnt mean the players can show up to work drunk. The players are 100% at fault if they are unable to follow these minimal restrictions on gambling.
Two seasons then poof. At this era, it’s very tempting to bet on games because of all these gambling ads.
I guess Marcano can join Mr. Pete Rose, Joe Jackson, and Eddie Cicotte in the Baseball Shadow Realm now.
Also, this isn’t a lifetime ban. It’s permanent. Even if Marcano dies, he will still be banished from baseball. (Please edit the title from lifetime ban to permanent ban, thx)
And Roberto Alomar… I forgot he’s deemed unworthy, too.
Jay Groome. What a downfall for that kid. Suppose to be all everything, can’t miss prospect that was a complete bust. Got to wonder if this spells the end of his professional playing career.
Oh ya Was pumped when he fell to the Red Sox. There were red flags. Had problems at IMG academy and his dad was a heroin dealer. Sounds like a sh!tbag family. Definition of a first round bust. Can’t pitch either.
3 months to investigate these little guys and little bets, but ohtani was cleared in cpl days.
What kind of “Lifetime” ban?
The Pete Rose kind?
Or the Steve Howe kind?
So hypocritical for MLB and other major professional leagues to financially benefit from sports betting
Thanks scapegoats! Your current and former MLB players betting hundreds of thousands on MLB games thank you for your service! (Salute)
1 lifetime ban & 4 suspensions
Is this manfred’s way of saying “i cant ban the face of baseball bec i’m a coward BUT i can suspend a bunch of nobody players no one’s ever heard of.”
Jesus f’in christ what a freak show
Marcano bet 100 grand
Ohtani gambled away $17 MILLION
Not even a slap on the wrist
Mlb wont see another penny from me til manfred’s gone
No tickets no jerseys no hot dogs not a single penny not a single game will be watched by me until manfred is gone forever for good. The worst commisioner in sports history
I think it’s fair to say MLB is glad they have the totally thorough FBI investigation as cover to wash their hands of the Ohtani situation.
But I think it’s also fair to say Ohtani really probably was just too trusting, and that is the end of it. We will probably never know if MLB would follow through on a lifetime ban if they had undeniable evidence Ohtani bet on baseball. Logically, they would have to.
mlb and logic go together like oil and water
there’s a million reasons why ohtani is 1000% guilty but 1 that is “undeniable” is nobody on earth is going to convince a bank that you are the most famous baseball player on earth. over and over and over again, day after day, year after year. its impossible. and its impossible ohtani “knew nothing”
I saw Bobby and Barry Bonds at the racetrack on multiple days. Different girl on their arms every day.
I saw Pete Rosa at a big casino sports book with all the baseball scores up. He had a beautiful woman next to him with huge tracks of land. The guy at the book said he buys women breast augmentations so he can have a girlfriend. True stuff.
I saw a canvas ablaze with celestial fire, where day and night trade lineup cards with the weary sun, painting the sky in hues that the field of dreams embrace till a knuckleballing satellite waffles through the dimming layers of our global lasagna.
I agree with a zero tolerance approach to this policy. However, if Manfred wants to preserve the integrity of the game, get rid of te ridiculous ghost runner.
Kelly . $28.00 vs the rest of $740,000 and a full year loss of $740,000 . Now he’s going to have to find a job in the real world . lol He needs to watch that Saved By The Bell anti drug video . DUMB , STUPID , CRAZY , DANGEROUS , STINKS . . lol There’s no hope with dope ! , or betting
What a dumba#s ! Threw away everything he’s ever worked for, his whole life over nothing. Now u can bet all u want.
These guys needed an interpreter and they woulda got off
if you are betting in a game you are involved with makes sense to do a lifetime ban.
If you are betting on a game that you have no involvement in even you are in the same franchise it makes less sense to me.
regardless, it sends a message to don’t eff around or you will find out. MLB has a pretty strong stance on this. All MLB players should be well aware of this.
does make you wonder how many bets they don’t know about
“…our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our game…” That’s the pot calling the kettle black. Manfred and integrity of our game don’t belong in the same sentence.
What a joke. Sports betting is legal in a lot of states. Mlb makes money off of advertising sports betting sites. Now this kid can’t play bc he bet on games he wasn’t involved in. Guys get arrested for domestic violence, drug charges and DUI’s but they’re good to come back. Absolute joke .
All this thread is missing is filihok announcing to the whole board that he’s muting everyone.
Get ready for more of these stories. Incredibly stupid but sports betting is jammed down our throats in every commercial. They’ve done it to themselves.
They love to hype their prospects. Trey Ball was gooooooood!!!!
The prospects get ranked by places like BA, BP, MLB, etc. If they are ranked, they are ranked.
Just sad. He gave my boys batting gloves after a game (my youngest son’s 7th birthday) and they were over the moon. He was pretty much the only player who even acknowledged my son’s birthday.- which I greatly appreciated. It’s certainly a different era my childhood when you could hitch your fandom to a Ryne Sandberg, Dale Murphy or Tony Gwynn and never even give a second thought to them doing anything off the field.
Wow this is like parents choosing their favorite child to protect and tossing the others in the river.