MLB

Did MLB Team Know About New Pitcher’s Rape And Sodomy Charges?

When the Seattle Mariners acquired Josh Leuke in the Cliff Lee deal, they thought they were getting an exciting young pitcher with a wicked fastball. What they may or may not have known was that they were acquiring a young pitcher with rape and sodomy charges, too.

From the Seattle Times:

Mariners executives insisted they knew nothing before the July 9 trade about the 25-year-old minor-leaguer facing felony charges in a rape and sodomy case in which he later pleaded no contest to a lesser charge. However, new information appears to contradict the Mariners’ original version of events.

That new information? Rick Adair, the Mariners’ former pitching coach, said he told the team about Leuke’s pending charges before the deal was completed. The Rangers, who dealt Leauke to Seattle, say they made an offer the night of the deal to take Leuke back.

According to court documents, Leuke “lied multiple times to police” during the investigation of a possible sexual assault against a 22-year-old woman in a California apartment that Leuke shared with teammates.

The Mariners, for their part, say the Rangers are lying. The Rangers, predictably, are saying the same thing about the Mariners.

[Mariners general manager Jack] Zduriencik said he was told there had been an incident at a bar involving the woman and a third party and that Lueke had been “acquitted.” “So, at that point, we took their word for it,” said Zduriencik, who was interviewed alongside Armstrong last week.

[...]

Daniels acknowledged mistakenly using the word “acquitted,” but disputed the Mariners’ version as having “significant factual inaccuracies.”

One of these teams is lying, and it would be particular embarrassing if it turned out to be the Mariners: they’ve backed a “Refuse to Abuse” program in the Seattle area that takes a stand against sexual abuse.