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Originally Posted by
Sloppy Joe
He would be signed if there was no additional smoke.
Talent prevails in nearly all athletic scenarios - DeShaun Watson, Miles Bridges, any # of other athletes with DV charges, etc.
He can cry and play victim but there are reasons no one is touching him.
The reasons are complex.
First off, he's not a guaranteed star. Save for his excellent game recently in Mexico (followed by a bad one), there's no proof he can still be a high-value MLB pitcher. If he's going to barely scratch out a 4th or 5th starter type existence, the drama/controversy isn't worth it.
Second, he was known as a pain in the ass prior to this whole thing. Even if everyone accepts that he's 100% innocent, he's still known to be a clubhouse headache, or at minimum a controversial guy.
Third, and perhaps most importantly, if they take him back and it turns out he really does (or has previously) beat women without their consent, then the team giving him a chance looks horrible. They know 100% he's into BDSM type sex. It's not like that part was made up. It's very likely these accusers are lying about the consent and "going too far" portion, but it's not certain, and that scares teams away.
Just not worth it for a guy who is 33 and may not even be that good at the MLB level anymore.
This should teach MLB a lesson, though, regarding randoms making questionable claims against their players. It's one thing to suspend a Urias type for beating his wife. That's pretty straightforward. It's another to hang a player out to dry because some random woman claims he was too rough during sex -- despite her returning a second time requesting rougher sex. How that wasn't seen as a huge red flag for her is beyond me.