Toronto Blue Jays: Will Roberto Osuna pitch for them ever again?
By Jason Evans
Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna was suspended 75 games for his domestic violence incident. Will he ever pitch for the club again?
The Toronto Blue Jays are in a transition period. As of today, they are sitting at 34-41 which is 17 games behind the division-leading New York Yankees. They are 11.5 games out of a Wild Card birth and would have to climb over six teams to get there.
Players like J.A. Happ and Josh Donaldson are trade bait. Prospects like Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr (although hurt right now) are on the way.
Roberto Osuna was supposed to be a part of the long-term solution for the Toronto Blue Jays. However, on May 8, Osuna was arrested for a domestic violence incident. He was placed on administrative leave. However, his official suspension came down yesterday.
MLB suspends #BlueJays closer Roberto Osuna for 75 games without pay, retroactive to arrest date of May 8. He's out through Aug. 4.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) June 22, 2018
Outside the court this week, Osuna's lawyer said he believed MLB would wait until end of criminal proceedings to issue discipline. That MLB didn't means league investigators gathered enough evidence that court ruling wouldn't have impacted commissioner's decision.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) June 22, 2018
Roberto Osuna and the players association agreed not to contest the discipline.
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) June 22, 2018
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The question now is will Osuna pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays ever again?
Osuna is a talented reliever. He’s young, and precisely the kind of piece that can help the club moving forward either as a part of the club or as a trade piece to help get more pieces.
However, this suspension complicates things. Osuna is the third longest suspension under the domestic violence policy.
San Diego Padres pitcher Jose Torres was suspended 100 games. Hector Olivera was suspended 82 games and is no longer in the majors.
Jeurys Familia and Steven Wright were suspended 15 games, and both are back with their respective clubs. Aroldis Chapman was suspended for 30 games and found himself traded beforehand. Jose Reyes was suspended for 51 games, got cut by the Colorado Rockies and the New York Mets picked him up.
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So what will the Toronto Blue Jays do? If I had to guess, I would say he won’t pitch for them again. I think the fact they aren’t in contention this year will make it easier for them not to use him when he can come off the suspended list. Some other organization will take a chance on him in a trade this off-season, but it’s probably best for all parties to separate and start anew.