Odubel Herrera Arrested in AC; Charged with Domestic Violence

[julio]

If Jim's source is correct, this simplifies things for the Phils, at least for now:

Jim Salisbury (JSalisburyNBCS)

So, they know what they have, at least.

[bkox]

confirmed:

Matt Gelb (MattGelb)

[zambonir]

Seems like they did the Phillies a favor there by massaging the back-date of the suspension so he can't come back this year.

[Lucky_Beagle]

Is this the same length of suspension as other players who had similar situations? What if MLB wouldn't have put him on restrictive leave for so long would he have been put out for the rest of the season? If he gets paid for at least a month of his off time why not allow some of this suspension to have occurred during that time and make him play the final couple of weeks or month to collect his pay. Bringing him back for the final couple of weeks would also not really affect the roster due to the expand rosters. It also could have gotten the unpleasantness of his return out this season regardless where he ends up next year....of course if the Phillies are in a playoff race it may be a good thing he isn't coming back during September.

[zambonir]

That's what I'm saying, I think all parties - MLB, Phillies, player - quietly agreed it would be best if he just didn't come back this season. They could have backdated his suspension to May 26th, docking his pay from that point, and he could have returned in September. Instead he gets paid for a month of not playing and is gone for the year.

This is one of the longer suspensions, it is longer than what Osuna got and a lot longer than what Addison Russell got. Hard to say whether that means MLB's investigation found the incident was a lot worse than the public reports (and the mere misdemeanor charge) or if they are simply becoming more sensitive to the issue (whether sincerely or for PR reasons).

[flyers19rw]

Herrera gets arrested for domestic assault. Charges are dropped. MLB suspends him for 85 games. The Dodgers Julio Urias gets arrested for domestic assault. Charges are dropped. He gets virtually a week. Lack of consistency here by MLB. I’m not indicating that Herrera should get off of the hook for what he did but Urias was given a pass.

[zambonir]

MLB has yet to conclude its investigation into Urias, though obviously the fact that they are letting him play in the meantime says something.

You might enjoy Bob Brookover's column (which apparently was already completely rewritten since it was first posted).

Odubel Herrera’s 85-game suspension is too long when compared to others | Bob...

We simply don't know all the details of any of these cases. My guess is there is video of Herrera, or pictures of his victim, which MLB hopes never comes out. But if it does and they'd gone easy on him...

[flyers19rw]

Z, thanks for posting Brookie’s article. It gets at my concern. There is too much in variance in the punishments.
Urias getting by for a similar incident to Herrera’s just doesn’t hold up. With LAD in need of the hot, young arm, they dragged their feet with their action on him. Then again the Dodgers have a history of shoveling assaults under the carpet. Uniformity in sanctions is necessary in these situations.

[LoneStarPhan]

I certainly don't know any more than what has been published, but based on that, I would support a fair and reasonable second chance for Herrera.

I generally support giving anyone a chance to overcome past bad behavior. In this case, the justice system was involved. Like it or not, without the testimony of the victim in the case, the prosecution had little choice but to move the way they did. I am not saying that is right but that is the way it is.

Then MLB did their investigation and review of the case and now has handed down its punishment under the agreement in place with the players association. The punishment handed down is, as Brookover points out, is at the high end of what has been done in other cases and far harsher than done to a couple higher profile players.

What happens next? The Phillies are prohibited from taking any punitive measure against Herrera under the system in place between MLB and the players association. Of course, that does not mean that they cannot trade Herrera or even release him, but it has to be and should be a "baseball" decision. Since Herrera's on-field play has declined and there was already discussion for a need to replace him even before this incident, the Phillies probably have sufficient cover to move forward without Herrera without appearing to be taking unauthorized punitive actions. They are on the hook for his contract that has a few more years to go. The issue is complex and I think it is important to handle it well.

Herrera seems to be doing and saying the right things. He has apologized, agreed to the suspension and loss of pay (two to three million), and declined to appeal the action by MLB. I have read that he is already in counseling. Assuming all goes well until the off season, I hope the Phillies do move forward and treat Herrera as a valuable baseball asset. I think the fact that the MLB punishment is significant coupled with good behavior going forward would make it possible for Herrera to play for the Phillies or to become a trade piece of some value. Of course, it remains to be seen how this will turn out.

[zambonir]

We let Brett Myers pitch the day after his arrest. Also the Dodgers refused to trade for Aroldis Chapman. And their other "history" involves our manager.

We don't know that the Urias case is similar, and I certainly don't think MLB is favoring the Dodgers. I think it's safe to say Herrera was more violent.

[LoneStarPhan]

We let Brett Myers pitch the day after his arrest. Also the Dodgers refused to trade for Aroldis Chapman. And their other "history" involves our manager.

We don't know that the Urias case is similar, and I certainly don't think MLB is favoring the Dodgers. I think it's safe to say Herrera was more violent.

Of course, the Chapman case involved a gun and firing eight shots. Again, I don't know what MLB knows, but in terms of violence, introducing a firearm and actually firing it multiple times seems to be at the high end of violent behavior.

[zambonir]

Listen, I am personally in favor of banning them all from baseball. Or rather, I wish that domestic violence was so abhorrent in our culture that it would just be bad business for any team to employ someone who's done it (and in most of these cases where the victim won't testify, they did it). Just like it became untenable for the Phillies to honor Pete Rose, and it would be untenable for an NFL team to employ OJ in their front office. And I think it is gross that team sensitivity to this issue is relative to how good the players are.

That said, the rules are the rules.

As for Chapman, YMMV. He didn't actually fire the gun at her. He also denies he assaulted her at all (she said he choked her). But I can see where someone putting their hands on a person could be seen as more violent than firing a gun in the air or at the wall. Regardless, you can't compare the cases because MLB, and society, is more sensitive about the issue compared to three years ago. And even compared to last fall (Addison Russell).

Of course multiple teams have traded for or signed Chapman since then. The Astros didn't hesitate to get Osuna. At the end of the day the only reason there are questions about Herrera's future is because he has been a poor player for almost a full season. I think it's possible there's no trade market for him of any substance, unfortunately.

[Lucky_Beagle]

Jim Salisbury

@JSalisburyNBCS
Source: MLB will suspend Odubel Herrera for the rest of this season and part of next.

So I take it the 85 game suspension starts now and will expand into next season. This is the first I really thought about next season. I was mostly focused on this comment previously:

Matt Gelb (MattGelb)
Odúbel Herrera has been suspended by Major League Baseball for the remainder of the season. His wages will be garnished for 85 games.

IMO this are saying different things. Gelb's doesn't mention anything about next year. How can he leave the part out about next season if it is true. He may have added it in other comments which I have not seen.

[julio]

So I take it the 85 game suspension starts now and will expand into next season. This is the first I really thought about next season. I was mostly focused on this comment previously:

No. It's effective retroactively, to June 24th. It's speculated that date was chosen because it means he's suspended for the balance of the season. MLB also announced that the suspension will apply to any post-season games the Phillies may be involved in. But it appears that it will NOT extend into 2020.

Meghan Montemurro (M_Montemurro)

Also - Herrera will not appeal, and all parties appear to be fully on board with the announced disciplline.

MLBPA's statement, released on behalf of Herrera:

MLBPA Communications (MLBPA_News)

Phillies' statement:

Philadelphia Phillies (Phillies)

As best I can tell, MLB, the Phillies, Herrera, and probably the MLBPA were all pretty much on board before anything was announced. It looks to me as if just about all the "outrage" at the "unfairness" of the sanction is coming from one place - an over-the-hill sports columnist looking to get peoples' attention.

[zambonir]

Salisbury's tweet turned out to be wrong is all. He probably thought the suspension started when it was announced (but had no properly sourced information at the time).

[zambonir]

Justin Klugh on Twitter

Some screenshots of Brookover's first draft.

[Jazzhead]

This IS an over-the-top sanction, aimed at a Latin ballplayer by those obsessed with political correctness. Whatever happened in that hotel room, what is known at this point is that the woman declined to press charges and is still in a relationship (it appears) with Odubel. This deserves a sanction in line with prior cases of a similar nature - a month or two, tops. Why Odubel is being singled out for hellfire and retribution, with the apparent complicity of the Phillies, is a mystery to me. Except it is no mystery - forgiveness and grace have no place in this world when there's a political axe to grind.

[zambonir]

Not choking your girlfriend is "political correctness" now?

The sanction is similar to Osuna and several other cases, where there also weren't criminal charges. We don't know what MLB's investigation found, but they are allowed to do whatever they want. He is not being punished for breaking the law, he is being punished for violating the league's policy, which is jointly agreed to by the players and the teams.

Morality aside it is also a purely pragmatic business decision by a baseball league that is desperately trying to develop fans under 35 (including women and children). And if and when the Phillies release him that will be a pragmatic decision too. Cynically, I think they are happy he got the long suspension because they had no interest in bringing him back this year, whether for PR reasons or for baseball reasons. But the Phillies had no role in this, and Herrera did not even appeal.

[julio]

This IS an over-the-top sanction, aimed at a Latin ballplayer by those obsessed with political correctness. Whatever happened in that hotel room, what is known at this point is that the woman declined to press charges and is still in a relationship (it appears) with Odubel. This deserves a sanction in line with prior cases of a similar nature - a month or two, tops. Why Odubel is being singled out for hellfire and retribution, with the apparent complicity of the Phillies, is a mystery to me. Except it is no mystery - forgiveness and grace have no place in this world when there's a political axe to grind.

Yeah, and Herrera and the MLBPA quietly went along with it, without a peep, because the MLBPA is full of socialists, and Herrera is planning to vote (illegally) for Bernie Sanders.

/snark

IMHO, when you have a disciplinary action in MLB that receives absolutely zero pushback from either the sanctioned player or the Players Association, it's a pretty big stretch to perceive that as an out-of-line sanction. But people see what they want/need to see...

[Jazzhead]

An 89 game suspension is out of line when there is no weapon or any other extenuating circumstances, and the girl not only declines to press charges but is still in her relationship with the player. Heck, she's the one who's most hurt when her squeeze and meal ticket is without pay for the rest of the season and likely blackballed by his own team and the rest of the league.

All to make a political point. Kate Smith must come down, Chief Wahoo too, and even the American flag stitched onto the back of a sneaker is verboten to these courageous corporate enablers of Maoist thought-suppression.

If this woman had pressed charges, I'd be all for lowering the boom on the Neanderthal that hit her. But this is not about domestic violence, it is about the cultural zeitgeist refusing to tolerate anything other than what the "woke" demand. Odubel Herrera is the latest ritual sacrifice. I think it stinks.