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2018 MLB Thread

Roberto Osuna speaks for first time since being traded to Houston from Toronto:

?No one knows what happened but obviously me,?? Osuna, the former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander, told USA TODAY Sports in a 20-minute interview. ?Everybody is quick to judge me and say all kinds of things about it. I?m just waiting for everything to come out so people can really wait to see what happened. I would really like the fans, and everybody else, (to) learn what the media says is not true.

?The biggest thing for me, and it?s sad to me, (is) how people are free to say whatever they want. They can just judge you, and they don?t know you. Everybody is judging me for things they don?t know. I don?t like that.

?Hey, if I?m guilty, you can say whatever you want.??

?People were concerned when we made the trade, it?s a difficult subject and rightfully so,?? Astros owner Jim Crane told USA TODAY Sports. ?It should be. We did as much homework on this as we could, and we felt the guy deserved a second chance. He had done all of his community work, counseling, and done everything baseball asked him to do.

?We are now going to do some stuff around the ballpark that will hopefully benefit women?s centers that address this problem. It?s a sensitive problem, and we want to be proactive.??

?The egregious acts are the egregious acts,?? Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. ?That?s never going to be debatable among people, and I get it. I have a wife and two daughters. It?s very hard personally to even think about that. But the fact is that the case is still pending, is what most people are offended about."

?You can say anything you want to me,?? Osuna said. ?None of what you say will hurt me because I know what happened. But don?t talk about my mom. I might lose my mind one day if you try to say something to my mom. She has nothing to do with this.

?There are people who changed towards me, but so many people had my back and were supportive. I heard from guys like [former teammates] Jason Grilli, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion. That meant everything to me.

?And here ... the first time I met these guys, they gave me the thumbs up. They said, 'Hey, you?re one of us. Happy to have you.? They?ve really made me comfortable, and really made things normal.

?Hopefully, when this is all over, it can stay that way.??


https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2018/08/29/roberto-osuna-astros-domestic-violence-justin-verlander/1125119002/
 
As many know, Shapiro's explanation for management's decision on the non September callup of the Jays Guerrero Jr., was laced with a load of verbal bloatware.  This has been a trend in MLB for teams to take back a year of a prospect's service time, leading to speculation that, unless a solution is found that is compatible for all sides, it will be a contentious issue and part of the next strike should there be one.

Some solutions put forth by player agents could be modeled after the NFL or NBA CBA agreements, or even the NHL's.  However, there are plenty of complications (including international implications) and it demonstrates the sport of baseball to be a complicated one.  Convoluted, if it may be called that, as the only pro league of the big four -- NBA, NFL, & NHL -- that can't come up with a winnable and compromising solution for all.

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Re:  Roberto Osuna court case result:

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Oauna's lawyer at the time of the MLB suspension:
"My client is not remorseful of being guilty of any criminal activity,? the lawyer said. ?He?s obviously remorseful of the circumstances.?

The only reason the charges were dropped by the court had directly to do with the complainant Alejandra Rom?n Cota, who elected to remain her native Mexico and refused to come back to Toronto to testify in court Monday.

The Peace Bond will be for a year in which Osuna will need to cooperate and behave in accordance with what's expected of him in this regard, namely to avoid contact with Rom?n Cota the mother of his child, and to undergo counseling.  Rom?n Cota accepts co-parenting for the child which is why she may wish to get back together with Osuna (when he returns to Mexico in the off-season).

Be wary of this so-called Peace Bond.  On account of the fact that Osuna is now an Astro and no longer a Blue Jay playing & living in Canada, this counseling requirement is only effective if the individual is still living in the city & country in which he plays in.  Translation, it is a Canadian decision from a Canadian court Judge and it becomes "unenforceable" for the primary reason that said individual no longer resides or plays with a Canadian-based team from Canada.

End of story.  Osuna walks away practically scott-free.  Something did allegedly happen between Cota & Osuna, something that has now been dissolved by a court decision due to the absence of a complainant's testimony.
 
The Red Sox are one win away from winning it all tonight in L.A.  Boston is leading three games to one.

Ex-Blue Jay Steve Pearce drove in four runs in Boston's 9-5 win Saturday night.

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Boston beat Los Angeles Sunday night 5-1 to win World Series four games to one...

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Former Blue Jay Josh Donaldson signs a 1 yr/$23M deal with the Atlanta Braves, where his former Blue Jay boss Alex Anthopoulos is the GM.

Story:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/braves-donaldson-deal-upside-another-big-win-anthopoulos/
 
Encarnacion traded to the Mariners along with a pick for Carlos Santana.

More:
https://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/mlb/complicated-encarnacion-trade-likely-sign-things-come/
 
Former Jay Troy Tulowitzki signs with the Yankees:

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/reports-former-blue-jays-shortstop-054118554.html
 
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