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Major League Baseball Closes Investigation Involving Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara

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1:20pm: Ohtani released a statement through a spokesperson, with Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic among those to relay it on X:

“Now that the investigation has been completed, this full admission of guilt has brought important closure to me and my family. I want to sincerely thank the authorities for finishing their thorough and effective investigation so quickly and uncovering all of the evidence. This has been a uniquely challenging time, so I am especially grateful for my support team – my family, agent, agency, lawyers, and advisors along with the entire Dodger organization, who showed endless support throughout this process. It’s time to close this chapter, move on and continue to focus on playing and winning ballgames.”

1:00pm: Major League Baseball released a statement to members of the media today regarding Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers, with Alden González of MLB among those to relay it on X: “Based on the thoroughness of the federal investigation that was made public, the information MLB collected, and the criminal proceeding being resolved without being contested, MLB considers Shohei Ohtani a victim of fraud and this matter has been closed.”

Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s former interpreter, officially pleaded guilty to bank and tax fraud charges in federal court this morning, as also relayed by González on X. Mizuhara’s sentencing is set for October 25 at 2:00pm Pacific.

The Dodgers also released a statement on the matter on X: “With today’s plea in the criminal proceedings against Ippei Mizuhara and the conclusion of both federal and MLB investigations, the Dodgers are pleased that Shohei and the team can put this entire matter behind them and move forward in pursuit of a World Series title.”

MLB announced in March that its Department of Investigations would be looking into the matter. That followed the emergence of various news reports that connected Mizuhara and Ohtani to an illegal gambling ring in California, where sports betting is not legal.

Mizuhara initially told members of the press that he had run up sizeable gambling debts and that Ohtani had agreed to help him by wiring money to the bookmaker. Attorneys representing Ohtani later said that the player had been “the victim of a massive theft.” Ohtani spoke about the situation, accusing Mizuhara of stealing his money and lying about it.

In April, Mizuhara was officially charged by federal officials, with the full 37-page complaint against him being released at that time. Further details emerged last month when it was reported that Mizuhara would be pleading guilty and agreeing to a plea deal. Mizuhara is alleged to have transferred more than $16MM from an account of Ohtani’s to the bookmaker, with the complaint containing phone records, text messages and banking records. Mizuhara allegedly phoned the bank and impersonated Ohtani “at least 24 times” as part of his attempts to access the account in question. Ohtani believed his agents and/or accounts were monitoring the account, whereas their repeated attempts to get access it were thwarted by Mizuhara, who told them that Ohtani wanted it kept private. The complaint also contained a text message wherein Mizuhara admitted to a bookmaker that he stole from Ohtani: “Technically I did steal from him. it’s all over for me.” Investigators found no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of Ohtani, nor did they find any evidence of Mizuhara betting on baseball.

Mizuhara is facing a maximum sentence of 33 years but could wind up with less than that as part of his plea deal. Meghann Cuniff of The Washington Post looked at the sentencing guidelines on X last month, (link one and two) suggesting that Mizuhara’s range would likely be in the range of 78 to 108 months, though also adding on X that the final decision will ultimately lie with the judge. Multiple reports have suggested Mizuhara is likely to be deported to Japan.

Max Muncy Shut Down Following Setback

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Dodgers slugger Max Muncy has been out since mid-May due to an oblique strain but doesn’t sound closer to returning than he was at the time of his original placement on the injured list. Muncy told the Dodgers beat yesterday that he recently experienced a setback in his rehab when he felt pain in his ribcage while swinging a bat (X link via Mike DiGiovanna of the L.A. Times). He’s currently shut down from all baseball activity, and there’s no timetable for his return.

Muncy, 33, got out to a typical start in 2024, hitting for a low average that was largely offset by a glut of walks and plenty of extra-base hits. He’s batting .223/.323/.475 with nine homers and eight doubles through 167 trips to the plate this season — about 24% better than league-average production, by measure of wRC+. The slugger’s 12.6% walk rate is four percentage points north of average but nevertheless represents a career-low mark (excepting his 2015 season, when he received only 112 plate appearances in his initial call to the big leagues). Muncy’s 29.9% strikeout rate, meanwhile, is the highest of his career.

In Muncy’s absence, utilityman Enrique Hernandez has seen the bulk of the workload at third base. The offensive struggles that plagued Hernandez early in the season haven’t yet subsided, however. He’s hitting .171/.209/.244 since Muncy landed on the 10-day IL and just .198/.255/.278 on the season overall. Veterans Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor have both seen fleeting time at the hot corner as well. The Dodgers have had plenty of struggles from the bottom-third of their lineup throughout the season even without Muncy’s injury, and dedicating regular time to Hernandez in lieu of Muncy hasn’t helped matters.

Poor production from the lower portion of the lineup is a flaw of this Dodgers club but hasn’t prevented the team from building a comfortable lead in the National League West. Buoyed by massive offensive performances from the star-studded top of the lineup featuring Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez, the Dodgers hold a lead of 6.5 games over the second-place Padres, tying them with the Phillies for the second-largest division lead in all of Major League Baseball. (The Brewers’ seven-game lead in the NL Central is currently the largest division lead in MLB.)

Dodgers Notes: Miller, Snell, Kershaw

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Dodgers youngster Bobby Miller made his second rehab start last night as he works his way back from a bout of shoulder inflammation that has kept him out of action since mid-April. As noted by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Miller experienced “a little velocity drop” during the start. While a drop in velocity can often be a sign of a physical issue of some sort, Roberts suggested that the club does not believe Miller to have been dealt any sort of physical setback in his recovery process.

Lower velocity could help to explain Miller’s rough final line last night, as he allowed four runs on five hits and a walk in 3 1/3 innings of work without recording a strikeout. That shaky performance doesn’t seem to have altered the club’s plans for Miller, however, as MLB.com’s Injury Tracker notes that Miller is scheduled to make his next rehab start at the Triple-A level before the Dodgers decide on whether or not he’s ready to rejoin the big league club. A fully healthy return from Miller would surely be a shot in the arm for the club, as the 25-year-old looked good in 22 starts during his rookie season last year with a 3.76 ERA and 3.51 FIP in 124 1/3 innings of work.

More notes from L.A….

  • A recent report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests that the Dodgers “made a late play” to land left-hander Blake Snell before he ultimately signed with the Giants on a two-year, $62MM deal. That the Dodgers had interest in Snell prior to his deal with San Francisco comes as something of a surprise given reporting from Heyman back in December that indicated the Dodgers had no interest in the reigning NL Cy Young award winner. Of course, in the months between those reports the market for Snell dried up considerably and he began to entertain short-term offers. Given Snell’s 10.42 ERA in five starts this year with the Giants, L.A. may have ended up better off by entering the season with a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Bobby Miller, James Paxton, and Gavin Stone. With Paxton and Walker Buehler both scheduled to hit free agency following the 2024 campaign, it’s possible the Dodgers could once again be a suitor for Snell’s services this winter should he rebound enough to opt out of year two of his deal with the Giants.
  • DiGiovanna also relays that the club’s longtime franchise face is making progress as he looks to work his way back from shoulder surgery. Lefty Clayton Kershaw faced six hitters in a live bullpen session yesterday, and in conversation with reporters (including DiGiovanna) compared to outing to an outing that would happen in the early stages of Spring Training during a normal year. The plan for Kershaw is currently for him to work his way towards a rehab stint after bumping up to two innings during his next bullpen session. As the Injury Tracker at MLB.com notes, the veteran lefty appears to be around six weeks away from a return to the big leagues, a timeline which would put him on track to return around the All Star break next month. Kershaw pitched through shoulder troubles last year, posting a 2.46 ERA in 24 starts for the Dodgers during the regular season, but ultimately opted to undergo surgery after a disastrous postseason start against the Diamondbacks where he allowed six runs while recording just one out.

Dodgers Release Kevin Padlo

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The Dodgers released infielder Kevin Padlo earlier this week, according to the transaction tracker at MLB.com. He’d been in the organization on the minor league contract he inked in January.

Padlo didn’t get to the majors with Los Angeles. He had played in the big leagues in each of the previous three seasons. A former fifth-round pick, the right-handed hitting infielder has suited up for five different teams. Padlo has appeared with the Rays, Mariners, Giants, Pirates and Angels. Despite logging action with five clubs, he has a combined 26 games of MLB experience. Padlo has hit .111/.158/.167 without a homer in 57 plate appearances.

The 27-year-old has generally been a productive hitter at the top minor league level. Padlo carried a .251/.348/.461 Triple-A slash line into this season. He was out to a slower start this year, hitting .216/.340/.380 over 209 plate appearances. He walked a customarily strong 15.3% clip against a 26.3% strikeout rate — higher than average but right around his career mark. His .272 average on balls in play was a bit below his typical level.

Padlo is likely to seek another minor league opportunity. He has been a part of seven organizations in his career — he was initially a Rockies draftee who went to the Rays in the Germán Márquez/Jake McGee trade — so he hasn’t been short on teams intrigued by his plate discipline and raw power.

Dodgers Designate Elieser Hernandez For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced they’ve designated right-hander Elieser Hernández for assignment. They needed to clear an active roster spot for closer Evan Phillips, who is back from the 15-day injured list. The move drops the team’s 40-man roster count to 39.

Hernández made five appearances for Los Angeles, his first MLB work since 2022. The righty inked a minor league deal over the offseason and was selected onto the club two weeks ago. He made a spot start in his first appearance, working six innings of three-run ball against the Giants. The Dodgers kept him around as a low-leverage reliever. Hernández allowed runs in three of his four bullpen outings, coughing up three runs without recording an out against the Mets on Wednesday.

The 29-year-old has appeared in parts of six MLB campaigns. He worked in a swing role for the Marlins between 2018-22. Hernández typically posted good strikeout and walk numbers, but he has been very vulnerable to the longball. That was again a problem in his limited look with the Dodgers. He gave up five homers in only 9 2/3 innings, serving up nine runs in the process.

Hernández is out of options, so the Dodgers had to designate him for assignment to remove him from the MLB team. It’s likely he’ll land on waivers in the next few days. While Hernández didn’t pitch well in the majors, he worked to an impressive 2.83 ERA while striking out nearly 30% of batters faced over 28 2/3 innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City. That might get him a look from another organization. If he goes unclaimed on waivers, Hernández has the requisite service time to decline an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Phillips was sidelined for a little less than a month by a hamstring strain. He was out to another excellent start before the injury. Phillips turned in 13 2/3 innings of three-run ball, fanning 17 hitters while issuing four walks. He now has a 1.64 ERA over 148 1/3 innings since the Dodgers claimed him off waivers from Tampa Bay in August 2021. The Dodgers used a committee approach to the ninth while Phillips was out of action. Daniel Hudson, Alex Vesia, J.P. Feyereisen and Blake Treinen have each picked up at least one save this month.

Dodgers Sign Chris Vallimont To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have signed right-hander Chris Vallimont to a minor league contract, as announced by Triple-A broadcaster Alex Freedman (X link). Vallimont is starting for the Dodgers’ top affiliate this evening.

A fifth-round pick of the Marlins in 2018, Vallimont has now been a part of five organizations in affiliated ball. He was traded to the Twins in 2019 and subsequently bounced to the Orioles and Guardians via waivers or minor trade. Vallimont’s only major league appearance came with Baltimore last July. The Guardians acquired from the O’s shortly thereafter but ran him through outright waivers without getting him into an MLB game.

The 27-year-old has struggled in the upper minors. Vallimont carries a 6.07 ERA in 123 Double-A frames and has allowed 5.46 earned runs per nine over 158 1/3 innings at the top minor league level. The Mercyhurst product has a decent 22% strikeout rate in his Triple-A career, though, and he’s coming off a strong showing in independent ball.

Vallimont, who elected minor league free agency last October, began this year with the Atlantic League’s York Revolution. He threw 27 1/3 innings over five starts, turning in a 3.29 ERA while striking out nearly 31% of batters faced. It seems he’ll work as rotation depth for the Dodgers and he has prior experience in long relief.

Rockies, Stephen Gonsalves Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Rockies are in agreement with Stephen Gonsalves on a minor league contract, per the transaction log at MLB.com. The southpaw is headed to Triple-A Albuquerque.

Gonsalves, 29, began this season in the Dodgers system. He inked a non-roster deal with L.A. in January. The Dodgers assigned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he struggled over 18 innings of relief. Gonsalves allowed 12 runs on 14 hits and an alarming 20 walks. The Dodgers briefly assigned him back to their Arizona complex before releasing him last week.

A former fourth-round draftee of the Twins, the San Diego native was once a reasonably highly-regarded prospect. Gonsalves didn’t carry over his dominant low minors production once he reached Triple-A, though. He owns a 4.23 earned run average in parts of seven Triple-A campaigns. His 27.1% strikeout percentage is above average, but he’s walked nearly 16% of his opponents. Gonsalves hasn’t gotten much of a major league look as a result. He has pitched in 10 MLB games, logging a 6.21 ERA through 29 innings.

Gonsalves has starting experience, though he’s worked out of the bullpen since 2022. He’ll presumably step into long relief for Albuquerque. The Rox have cycled through a few bullpen arms in recent days and evidently needed to backfill some of their lost upper minors depth.

Dodgers Release Drew Pomeranz

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Left-hander Drew Pomeranz has been released by the Dodgers, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had opted out of a previous deal with the Dodgers in April before re-signing. Whether he triggered an opt-out this time or not is unknown, but the result is that he’ll head back to the open market.

Pomeranz, 35, has been looking to mount a comeback this year after years in the injury wilderness. He signed a minor league deals with the Angels in the offseason but was released from that pact and, as mentioned, signed two separate minor league deals with the Dodgers.

Per his transactions tracker, Pomeranz was placed on the minor league injured list on April 21, but he recently returned to the mound. He tossed a scoreless inning on May 15, striking out two of the three batters he faced. On May 18, he tossed two innings, striking out five of the seven batters he faced while allowing one hit. Dodgers Daily provided video of that outing on X.

Based on those recent results, it would appear Pomeranz is in good form. Overall, he’s tossed nine innings this year with six earned runs allowed, but four of those were in his first appearance. In the eight innings since then, he has a 2.25 earned run average, 48.3% strikeout rate and 3.4% walk rate.

The southpaw had a good run as one of the best relievers in baseball. The Brewers acquired him at the 2019 deadline and moved him to the bullpen with great results, which prompted the Padres to sign him to a four-year deal. He continued to pitch very well in the first two years with San Diego. From the time Milwaukee traded for him through the end of 2021, Pomeranz threw 70 2/3 innings with a 1.91 ERA, 37.8% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 46.2% ground ball rate.

But he finished that 2021 campaign on the IL due to flexor tendon surgery and hasn’t been back in the majors since, missing out on the final two years of his deal with the Padres. His attempts to get back on the mound frequently resulted in setbacks and he required a “cleanup surgery” on his elbow in May of last year.

This year, he’s at least been on the mound and throwing more than he has in a while. He tossed eight innings for the Angels in the spring and has thrown nine more for Triple-A Oklahoma in the past two months. Since he circled back to the Dodgers on another minor league deal after opting out last month, perhaps the two sides will reunite yet again in the coming days. But the Dodgers also have a fairly crowded bullpen, which could perhaps lead Pomeranz to consider other clubs with a more open path back to the big leagues.

Rob Manfred Discusses Mizuhara, Fletcher Investigations; A’s Stadium Plans

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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to reporters (including Evan Drellich of The Athletic) regarding the league’s ongoing investigations into allegations of illegal sports betting against Ippei Mizuhara and David Fletcher. Mizuhara had worked as Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter during his time with the Angels and joined him in heading to the Dodgers this offseason but was fired on Opening Day amid reports connecting Mizuhara to an illegal gambling operation in California, while Fletcher was connected to that same operation by reporting last week.

As noted by Drellich, MLB’s department of investigations has largely been deferential to federal authorities over the course of the investigations. Manfred suggested that this deferential approach was a necessary one, noting that federal authorities have “a lot more tools” at their disposal than the league does with which to conduct investigations in this situation. Drellich explains that while league investigations regarding legal gambling can be assisted by regulators and alerts received by the league’s central office, no such avenues are available in cases of illegal gambling.

“We have no way to know what an illegal bookmaker is doing,” Manfred said, as relayed by Drellich. “…by definition, in most cases we’re going to be chasing, usually a press report or a criminal investigation.”

Manfred went on to suggest that a more proactive approach to the investigations could risk “interfer[ing] in an unproductive way,” prompting the league’s decision to move slowly in its investigations of these cases while following reporting based on investigations from the news media and federal authorities. Reporting earlier this month suggests that Mizuhara is pleading guilty to charges of bank fraud and subscribing to a false tax return in relation with his alleged theft of more than $16MM from Ohtani to fund his gambling habit.

Aside from his comments on the ongoing investigations, Manfred also discussed the impending relocation of the Athletics from Oakland to Las Vegas and their temporary move to Sacramento following the 2024 campaign while they await the construction of their new stadium in Nevada. Manfred notes that Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, which is the current home of the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats, is set to undergo significant renovations in preparation for the A’s arrival next season. Per Manfred, an entirely new home clubhouse will be constructed for the A’s while the visiting clubhouse will be renovating, the field will have new artificial turf installed, and the stadiums cameras will be upgraded to accommodate big league broadcasts.

In addition to discussing the upgrades being made to the club’s temporary ballpark in Sacramento, Manfred noted that the timeline for construction on the club’s permanent ballpark in Las Vegas is a relatively tight one if the club is to begin playing there in 2028, as previously expected. According to Drellich, Manfred indicated that the A’s would need to break ground in Las Vegas in April 2025 if they’re to be ready for Opening Day 2028. That gives the club less than a year to gather private funding for the stadium project, of which they are reportedly seeking $500MM, and reach an agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority regarding a plan for the club to meet its $1.1 billion in commitments toward the construction of the stadium.

Mariners Claim Eduardo Salazar, Designate Sammy Peralta

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The Mariners announced that they have claimed right-hander Eduardo Salazar off waivers from the Dodgers and assigned to Triple-A Tacoma. The Dodgers designated him for assignment earlier this week. In a corresponding move, left-hander Sammy Peralta has been designated for assignment.

Salazar, 26, signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in the offseason and he was added to their roster in mid-April. He only made one appearance for the big league club, tossing two scoreless innings, spending most of his time this year on optional assignment.

He made seven starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, tossing 33 2/3 innings with a 5.61 earned run average. He only struck out 13.7% of batters faced but limited walks to a 7.8% clip and got grounders on 58.6% of balls in play. With a .389 batting average on balls in play, it’s possible that luck played a role in how many runs he allowed to cross the plate.

Keeping the ball on the ground has been a feature of his game in the past as well. He made his major league debut with the Reds last year and had a 51.1% grounder rate in 12 1/3 innings, while also getting opponents to pound the ball into the dirt at a similar rate in the minors.

Salazar has worked both as a starter and a reliever in his career and could perhaps provide the Mariners with depth in both departments. He can be optioned for the rest of this year and for one more season as well. He also has just a handful of service days, meaning the Mariners can hang onto him for the foreseeable future as long as he continues to justify his roster spot.

Peralta, 26, was claimed off waivers from the White Sox in early April. He has made 12 appearances for Triple-A Tacoma but allowed 13 earned runs in 12 1/3 innings. His 20% strikeout rate, 13.3% walk rate and 36.8% ground ball rate are all subpar.

That poor performance has led to him being bumped off Seattle’s roster and they will now have one week to trade him or pass him through waivers. Perhaps some club will be interested based on his previous work. He made his major league debut last year with the White Sox and had a 4.05 ERA in 20 innings. His 5.09 ERA in Triple-A last year wasn’t especially impressive but he did strike out 23.1% of batters faced while walking just 6.4%.

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