Wander Franco, Trevor Bauer among baseball's worst

Violence, drugs, gambling, and more upsetting infractions

Author

Aaron Somers
August 05, 2025

Baseball’s history is filled with countless memorable characters who are known just as much for their personalities and off-field behavior as they are for what they did on the diamond. While most are positive, there are, of course, some distasteful characters scattered throughout the sport’s past.

One of the sport’s most egregious examples just wrapped up in June 2025, when a three-person panel (Dominican Republic courts do not use a jury) found Wander Franco guilty on charges of sexual abuse against a minor. Franco was given a suspended sentence (he’ll need to abide by certain requirements; otherwise, he faces two years in prison).

Franco, 22 years old at the time allegations first surfaced, watched his promising career completely slip away.

MLB and the MLB Players Association first created an official domestic violence policy in August 2015. Since then, 17 players have been suspended by the Commissioner’s Office to varying degrees:

For many of these guys, the suspensions marked the end of their careers in one way or another.

Torres and Dyson never suited up again.

Olivera and Norris spent a single season in independent ball before hanging up their cleats.

Osuna, Russell, Cordero, Martinez, Bauer, and Urias have all been forced to seek playing opportunities overseas to continue their careers.

Former players with offensive violence or sexual assault-related transgressions exist beyond the above list, of course. Some of these matters took place long before the league and players’ union agreed on the existing policies. Some occurred following the player’s career coming to an end.

Outfielder Luis Polonia was arrested in August 1989 after being found in a Milwaukee hotel on a road trip with an underage girl in his room. He pleaded no contest to misdemeanor sexual assault charges and spent 60 days in jail following the season.

Pitcher Julio Machado spent the offseason following the 1991 season at home in Venezuela, where he fatally shot a woman following a traffic accident in December. Machado initially claimed it was self-defense, but was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in August 1996 and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Outfielder Wil Cordero was arrested in June 1997 after an argument with his wife left her with a bloodied nose. No charges were filed, and while the league did not have a formal policy on domestic abuse, the Red Sox believed a message needed to be sent and suspended Cordero for 8 games.

Outfielder and designated hitter Jose Canseco was no stranger to controversy, both during and after his playing career. He’ll be best remembered for his connection to steroids and the performance-enhancing drug era. There were also violent moments in his past, including a November 1997 arrest for beating his then-wife.

Outfielder Lenny Dykstra was charged in October 1999 with sexually harassing a teenage girl working at a carwash he owned. Charges were dismissed a month later, but the matter marked the start of a long history of legal battles that included grand theft, bankruptcy fraud, identity theft, indecent exposure, money laundering, and drug possession.

Pitcher Bryan Rekar is arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence in August 2000 after police are called to the Devil Rays’ team hotel in Chicago. Rekar’s wife is found with a bloodied nose in their room, but refuses medical treatment. Neither the Devil Rays nor MLB punishes Rekar in any manner.

Hall of Fame outfielder Kirby Puckett was arrested and charged with criminal sexual assault and false imprisonment after a woman accused him of pulling her into a restaurant bathroom in September 2002. Puckett was found not guilty in April 2003. A March 2003 article in Sports Illustrated had detailed Puckett’s troubled personal life, including allegations from his ex-wife that he had abused and threatened her on multiple occasions during their marriage.

Reliever Ugueth Urbina was arrested in November 2005 on charges of attempted murder, after Urbina had allegedly threatened five farmhands at his Venezuela ranch with a machete and was accused of dousing them with gasoline. Urbina believed they had stolen a gun from him. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison in March 2007.

Designated hitter Dmitri Young was arrested in May 2006 on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge after his ex-girlfriend accused him of choking her. Young subsequently checked himself into an alcohol rehabilitation program for 30 days.

Pitcher Brett Myers is arrested in June 2006 after witnesses report that he dragged his wife by her hair out of a Boston bar and then struck her. Charges are dropped when the couple enters into counseling. Myers would take a personal leave from the team for a few weeks. The Phillies received criticism from fans and women’s organizations for failing to discipline Myers at all (he made his scheduled start two days after the arrest).

Reliever Julio Mateo was arrested in May 2007 after assaulting his wife. He was charged with third-degree assault. The Mariners suspended him for 10 games. Two months later, Mateo was released.

Infielder Alberto Callaspo was arrested in May 2007 on charges of abuse after police were called to his home for a domestic violence call. The Diamondbacks placed him on the restricted list for nine days. He would be traded the following offseason.

Outfielder Mel Hall was sentenced in June 2009 to 45 years in prison. A Texas court found him guilty of sexually assaulting multiple underage girls whom he had coached.

Outfielder Milton Bradley was convicted in June 2013 on multiple charges of battery and domestic violence against his wife, all misdemeanors in California. Their ten-year relationship was filled with both physical and emotional abuse, according to testimony the wife provides during the trial. She passed away months later from prior injuries that appeared to have gone untreated. Bradley spent 15 months in jail.

Bradley would be convicted in June 2018 for a second time on domestic violence charges, this time to his second wife. He was sentenced to 36 months probation.

Outfielder Chad Curtis was sentenced in October 2013 by a Michigan court for six counts of sexual misconduct. Following his playing career, Curtis worked as an athletic director and weight room trainer at an all-girls high school, where he assaulted multiple students. He would spend seven years in jail.

Reliever John Wetteland was arrested in January 2019 on charges that he had sexually assaulted an underage male relative. The judge would declare a mistrial in September 2022 after the jury became deadlocked. Charges would be dismissed a few months later.

A February 2019 report from The Washington Post details an alleged sexual assault that took place in February 2015 involving multiple Dodgers minor leaguers at spring training. Police investigated, but no charges were filed. The Post story claims former outfielder and then-Dodgers executive Gabe Kapler was informed of the incident, but failed to act. Outfielder Alex Verdugo would later be linked to the incident, the only player publicly named and alleged to have been involved. He would deny any involvement.

Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Felipe Vázquez was arrested in September 2019 after it was revealed that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor. Vázquez faced more than 20 felony charges and would be denied bail at a November hearing. He would remain in custody until his trial in May 2021. Vázquez was deported back to Venezuela in December 2023.

MLB never officially placed Vázquez on the ineligible list, but it would be a foregone conclusion considering he wouldn’t be able to obtain a work visa once the felony charges were filed (the same issue Franco will face).

Brandon Taubman, an assistant general manager for the Houston Astros, was in the clubhouse following the team’s victory in the ALCS in October 2019. Taubman made multiple comments directed at a group of female reporters waiting to interview players. His actions were documented and published by Stephanie Apstein at Sports Illustrated just two days later.

Houston’s front office initially attacked Apstein’s reporting, but ultimately fired Taubman a week later and accepted responsibility for his actions. He would be placed on the ineligible list in January 2020.

Catcher Reese McGuire was arrested in February 2020 during spring training. McGuire was found sitting in his car in a public parking lot without pants on and faced charges of indecent exposure. He would plead no contest and pay an undisclosed fine when the case went to court that July.

Shortstop and longtime minor league coach Omar Vizquel is the subject of a December 2020 story in The Athletic detailing a history of domestic violence allegations raised by his wife.

Vizquel is named in a lawsuit months later after allegations arose that he had targeted and sexually harassed a batboy while managing the Birmingham Barons. An undisclosed settlement was reached in June 2022, and the suit was dismissed.

Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar was working in a consultant role for the league offices when he was placed on the permanently ineligible list in April 2021 following an independent investigation by the league. Alomar had been employed by the Blue Jays when he sexually harassed a female employee in 2014.

Outfielder turned broadcaster F.P. Santangelo was suspended from broadcasts by the Washington Nationals in May 2021 following allegations of sexual misconduct that arose anonymously on social media. Santangelo denied the claims and was reinstated two months later following an investigation conducted by the league at the team’s request. He returned to the Nationals’ broadcast booth but departed the team following the season.

Pitching coach Mickey Callaway was fired by the Los Angeles Angels in May 2021 and placed on the permanently ineligible list, following a report by The Athletic in February that detailed five female members of the media whom Callaway had sexually harassed.

Outfielder Juan Encarnación was arrested and charged in August 2021 by authorities in the Dominican Republic for sexually assaulting his underage daughter.

Outfielder Yasiel Puig was revealed in a December 2021 story to have reached settlements with multiple women whom he had sexually assaulted in January 2017. Despite allegations rising while still an active player with the Dodgers, they somehow remained private to the league and the public.

Puig would find himself in separate trouble in November 2022, pleading guilty to federal authorities for lying about his involvement in an illegal gambling operation in California. More on other gambling issues a bit later.

Pitcher Sergio Mitre was sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison by Mexican authorities in January 2022, finding Mitre guilty of raping and murdering his girlfriend’s infant child.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mike Clevinger is the subject of allegations brought in January 2023 by the mother of his 10-month-old daughter, claiming he had abused them both. The league investigated before announcing in early March that it would not impose any punishment.

Pitcher Dan Serafini was arrested in October 2023 in connection with the 2021 murders of Serafini’s in-laws. A jury found him guilty in July 2025, with sentencing pending.

Outfielder Dustan Mohr was sentenced in April 2024 to nine years in jail by an Indiana court for sexually assaulting an underage girl.

Reliever Austin Maddox was arrested in April 2024 as part of an undercover sting operation in Florida. Maddox is one of 27 individuals charged with attempting to meet an underage girl.

Outfielder turned broadcaster Craig Monroe was suspended indefinitely by the Detroit Tigers in July 2024 after allegations of sexual assault appeared on social media. Florida police confirm that an active investigation is ongoing. Monroe has not returned to the Tigers’ broadcast booth.

Political corruption

Since all the violence wasn’t enough, corruption decided to join the party.

Raúl Mondesi was a .273/.331/.485 (113 OPS+) hitter across parts of 13 seasons, winning a pair of Gold Gloves and the NL Rookie of the Year Award with the Dodgers. Following the conclusion of his playing career in 2005, Mondesi returned home to the Dominican Republic and got involved in politics. In 2010, he was elected to a six-year term as mayor of his hometown, San Cristóbal.

Corruption is common in many Latin American cities and Mondesi was no stranger to allegations during his tenure as mayor. He (and three others) were eventually charged with embezzling more than $5 million in funds from the city. Mondesi served six years of house arrest and paid a fine of more than $1.27 million.

General stupidity

New York Giants outfielder Benny Kauff was arrested and charged with selling stolen cars in 1921. Kauff was acquitted on the charges, but Commissioner Landis deemed him “no longer a fit companion for other ball players” and banned him permanently.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner made headlines on numerous occasions throughout his tenure leading the franchise, but the most notable came in July 1990 when he was suspended for a year by Commissioner Fay Vincent. The suspension came following the revelation that Steinbrenner had paid a known gambler $40,000 to “dig up dirt and discredit” Yankees outfielder Dave Winfield after Winfield sued the team for failing to live up to a provision in his contract that called for a donation to be made by the team to Winfield’s foundation.

Pitcher-turned-international scouting director José Rijo was largely responsible for the shuttering of the Washington Nationals Dominican Republic academy in February 2009, after a player the team had signed was discovered to be four years older than previously believed. Rijo was also accused of having a pre-arranged agreement with the player to kick back a portion of his signing bonus. The Nationals promptly fired him.

Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa was sentenced to 46 months in prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of computer hacking in July 2016. Correa had been found to have illegally accessed Houston’s “Ground Control” computer system (in which they stored proprietary in-house data such as contract details, scouting reports, etc.) more than 60 times between March 2013 and June 2014. Correa’s actions first became public knowledge thanks to a Deadspin story, which promptly resulted in the Cardinals firing him.

Braves executives John Coppolella and Gordon Blakeley resigned their positions with the team after an investigation by the league into allegations that they had pre-arranged agreements with international amateur signings began in October 2017. Coppolella would be placed on the permanently ineligible list a month later by the league. The Braves would lose 13 players Coppolella had signed and faced severe restrictions on their international spending for the next three years.

An investigation by the league found that the Astros had used electronic equipment to steal signs during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, including Houston’s 2017 World Series run. The league had previously issued warnings about such activity. Manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were both suspended in January 2020 for the entire season. The Astros also paid a $5 million fine and had to forfeit four draft picks (their first and second round picks in 2020 and 2021). Astros owner Jim Crane announced that Hinch and Luhnow were being fired just an hour after the league announced the suspensions.

The lone player connected to the league’s investigation, Carlos Beltran, did not receive a suspension but was still impacted by the findings. Beltran had just been hired to serve as the manager for the Mets in November 2019, but was let go by the team in January 2020 before ever managing a game.

Alex Cora had been Hinch’s bench coach during the scandal, but had left to manage the Red Sox for the 2018 season. After the findings of the league’s investigation were announced, Boston and Cora “mutually agreed to part ways” in January 2020. Cora was suspended through the season in April 2020. The Red Sox re-hired Cora just days after the suspension was lifted.

Racism & Intolerance

Just the second female owner in league history, Reds owner Marge Schott was highly visible at the team’s games and known just as much for always having her dog by her side as she was for her short temper and frugal nature. Beginning with a November 1992 lawsuit and continuing until a May 1996 article in Sports Illustrated, numerous allegations of racist comments and policies — notably against African Americans, Japanese, and Jews — came to light publicly.

Scott’s racist comments resulted in the league suspending her for the entire 1993 season. She would receive a second suspension in June 1998 for the remainder of that season. One year later, facing more possible sanctions from the league, Schott agreed to sell her remaining stake in the team.

Braves reliever John Rocker made headlines following a December 1998 article in Sports Illustrated in which he attacked New Yorkers, specifically targeting the city’s ethnic minorities as a reason for his dislike of the city. Rocker also made racist remarks during the interview about Asians and a teammate from Curacao. MLB would suspend him for 28 games, though an appeal would reduce it to 14.

Blue Jays infielder Yunel Escobar drew plenty of attention after being photographed during a September 2012 game with a homophobic slur written on his eye black. Escobar defended his actions, insisting he meant no harm, and received a three-game suspension.

Mets infielder Daniel Murphy is openly critical of homosexuals following a visit with the team from Billy Bean, MLB’s Ambassador for Inclusion, in March 2015. Bean was the first former player to come out as openly gay following his playing career and spent years working with the league offices before his passing in August 2024. Murphy received a great deal of backlash from fans following his comments and largely refused to speak with the media for the remainder of his career.

Longtime starting pitcher Curt Schilling had what some might consider a Hall of Fame career if you focus only on his on-field accomplishments, but everything that followed tarnished his reputation and left the HOF voters to largely ignore him based on the famous “character clause.”

Schilling’s post-playing days have mostly centered on social media controversies, where he has argued about politics, evolution, and religion, to name just a few subjects. He celebrated a photo that circulated from a November 2016 Donald Trump rally, calling for the lynching of journalists. Schilling has also been known to show off pieces of his Nazi memorabilia collection while doing little to hide his anti-Semitic beliefs.

Social media was not kind to former Rays and Giants third baseman Aubrey Huff, who created controversy over the years with a host of antonistic, misogynistic, and offensive tweets. Huff became so disliked, the Giants publicly disinvited him from attending the reunion of their 2010 World Series team in February 2020.

Rays infielder Taylor Walls goes out of his way on social media to support Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ criticisms of the NCAA for allowing a transgender athlete to compete in a March 2022 swimming event. Walls is addressed by manager Kevin Cash and effectively told to keep off of social media moving forward by the team.

Months later, five Rays players — pitchers Jason Adam, Brooks Raley, Jalen Beeks, Jeffrey Springs, and Ryan Thompson — refused to participate in the team’s Pride Night in June 2022, citing their religious beliefs. The Rays organization received a great deal of pushback following the pair of incidents, both from fans and advocacy groups alike.

Reliever Anthony Bass created controversy on social media in May 2023 with an Instagram post criticizing the selling of Pride-themed merchandise while pushing for a national boycott of several corporations that supported LGBTQ+ initiatives. Bass is released by the Blue Jays just days later, with GM Ross Atkins admitting that he had simply “become a distraction.”

Drugs (not the performance-enhancing variety)

Minor League Baseball has, for whatever reason, often followed stricter drug policies. This has resulted in numerous players over the years receiving suspensions following positive tests for drugs of abuse. Many of these were for legitimate illegal substances (cocaine, methamphetamine), but others were simply for using marijuana. Since these were minor leaguers, we’ll exclude them here.

Padres outfielder Alan Wiggins was arrested in July 1982 and charged with cocaine possession. He would be issued a 30-day suspension by MLB and agreed to enter a drug treatment program, which the Padres paid for.

Hall of Fame pitcher Ferguson Jenkins, then with the Rangers, was stopped by customs officers in Toronto in August 1982 and found to have small amounts of cocaine, hashish, and marijuana in his possession. Commissioner Bowie Kuhn suspended him for the remainder of the season and all of the 1983 season.

The MLBPA filed a grievance and Jenkins appealed through an independent arbitrator before the suspension was ultimately overturned two weeks later, allowing Jenkins to return and pitch in what would be his final season.

With cocaine and methamphetamine use becoming more widespread in the mid-1980s, Major League Baseball was hardly immune. One of the sport’s biggest off-field scandals happened in 1985 and came to be known as the Pittsburgh Drug Trials. A grand jury was convened to investigate just how rampant the use of the drugs had become around the league and more than a dozen players were called to testify. The players were granted immunity for their participation. Seven Pittsburgh-area dealers were found guilty of various charges.

Eleven players — Joaquin Andújar, Dale Berra, Enos Cabell, Keith Hernandez, Jeffrey Leonard, Dave Parker, Lonnie Smith, Al Holland, Lee Lacy, Lary Sorensen, and Claudell Washington — ultimately received suspensions following the trials, though the suspensions were commuted in exchange for fines and community service, so no games were missed.

Reliever Steve Howe was on the fast track to stardom, getting drafted by the Dodgers in the 1st round of the 1979 Draft before winning the NL Rookie of the Year Award the following season. Despite the success on the mound, Howe had his demons to battle off the field. He was suspended seven times for issues related to drug and alcohol use before Commissioner Fay Vincent banned him permanently following an arrest in December 1991. Similar to Jenkins, the MLBPA filed a grievance, and an independent arbitrator ultimately overturned the suspension.

Howe returned to pitch four more seasons before retiring, submitting to daily drug testing as a condition of his reinstatement. Following his release in 1998, he was arrested at the airport for trying to carry a loaded handgun onto a flight. Howe died in 2006 in a single-car accident, the result of methamphetamines found in his system.

Infielder Neifi Perez received a 25-game suspension in July 2007 after testing positive for an amphetamine. Perez was suspended a second time, for 80 games, in August 2007 after a subsequent positive test.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz received a 25-game suspension in November 2012 after testing positive for an amphetamine.

Infielder Ryan Adams received a 25-game suspension at the same time in November 2012, also for testing positive for an amphetamine.

Infielder Miguel Tejada saw the final season of his career end prematurely in August 2013 after the league issued two suspensions simultaneously (first for 25 games, then for an additional 80 games for a second offense, totaling 105 games). Tejada had tested positive multiple times for amphetamines.

Reliever Troy Patton received a 25-game suspension in December 2013 after testing positive for an amphetamine. Patton would receive a second suspension, for 80 games, in November 2014 after testing positive again for the same substance.

Outfielder Cameron Maybin received a 25-game suspension in July 2014 after testing positive for an amphetamine.

Reliever Chris Perez and his wife were arrested in June 2013 on charges of misdemeanor marijuana possession after a package containing nine ounces was delivered to their Cleveland home, addressed to their dog. Perez pleaded no contest in September, paid a fine, and completed community service.

Two years later, in June 2015, while a free agent, Perez failed a drug test (a condition of his first arrest) and received a 50-game suspension from the league because it was his second offense. Perez retired before serving the suspension at the age of 30.

Pitcher Esteban Loaiza spent 14 seasons in the majors with eight different teams but got involved with trafficking following the end of his playing career. Loaiza was arrested in February 2018 with more than 40 pounds of cocaine in his possession. He pleaded guilty in August to distribution charges and served two years in prison before he was released and deported to Mexico, where he serves as a pitching coach in the Mexican League.

Gambling

Violence and hatred make up most of the above list, but some of baseball’s biggest scandals have centered on gambling.

John Radcliff of the Chicago White Stockings was banned in 1874 after attempting to bribe an umpire. He would be reinstated the next season.

George Bechtel of the Louisville Grays was banned in 1876 for conspiring with teammates to intentionally lose a game. Four more Grays players — Jim Devlin, George Hall, Al Nichols, and Bill Craver — were banned a year later for conspiring to throw two games.

Umpire Dick Higham was banned in 1882 for conspiring to throw a game.

New York Giants team physician Joseph Creamer III was banned in 1908 after attempting to bribe an umpire before a playoff game.

Hal Chase was banned in 1921 for betting on his teams. Evidence was found that Chase had bribed players on opposing teams.

Third baseman Heinie Zimmerman, who had won the Triple Crown in 1912, was banned in 1921 for encouraging teammates to fix games.

Rumors of game-fixing first cropped up heading into the 1919 World Series and only grew as the series went on. The Chicago White Sox were heavy favorites, but multiple players agreed to take payouts in exchange for throwing the series against the Reds. Sportswriters during the series were even questioning the legitimacy of the game’s events in as near to real-time as possible.

Questions and allegations followed the team throughout the subsequent season before a grand jury was finally called in late 1920, during which pitcher Eddie Cicotte admitted to his involvement. Cicotte’s admission would be corroborated in even more detail during the trial the next summer. Still, all of the players were found not guilty.

This didn’t stop owners from believing that something had to be done to prevent such a scandal from occurring again, which resulted in Kennesaw Mountain Landis being appointed as the first Commissioner of Baseball to oversee the league. Landis’s first act in his new role was to permanently ban all eight players involved in the “Black Sox Scandal” — Cicotte, Claude Williams, Charles Risburg, Chick Gandil, Happy Felsch, Fred McMullin, Buck Weaver, and Shoeless Joe Jackson.

St. Louis Browns second baseman Joe Gedeon was banned in 1921 for allegedly conspiring with the same gamblers behind the Black Sox Scandal. Phillies infielder Eugene Paulette was also banned for gambling that year.

Cubs outfielder Lee Magee was released just before the 1920 season. When he sued the team to recoup his salary, testimony revealed that he had intentionally thrown games. He was banned in 1921.

Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell and coach Cozy Dolan were banned in 1924 after offering Phillies shortstop Heinie Sand a bribe to throw a game.

Phillies owner William D. Cox was banned in 1943 after it was found that he was betting on his team’s games.

Commissioner Bowie Kuhn banned Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle in 1980 and 1983, respectively, after the long-retired outfielders were hired by casinos in Atlantic City. Neither casino offered sports betting, which was illegal at the time in New Jersey, making Kuhn’s decision controversial. Commissioner Peter Ueberroth reinstated the Hall of Famers in 1985.

Almost 80 years after Landis banned a group of White Sox players as one of his first actions on the job, newly appointed Commissioner Fay Vincent also looked to eliminate gambling immediately upon taking office. Vincent appointed Jon Dowd to investigate Reds manager Pete Rose, who had allegedly been gambling on games, including some involving his Reds team, over the prior few seasons.

The Dowd Report found 52 instances where Rose had placed bets on games during the 1987 season. Vincent placed Rose on the permanently ineligible list in August 1989. Rose denied any wrongdoing for nearly two decades before finally changing his tune.

Sports betting ultimately became legalized across the country beginning in the late 2010s. prompting the league to refine and clarify some of its policies. That didn’t prevent gambling from being an issue.

Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter and friend, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired by the Dodgers in March 2024 after an ESPN investigation uncovered that he had sent almost $17 million in Ohtani’s money to illegal bookmakers. Mizuhara pleaded guilty to bank fraud and filing a false income tax return. He was sentenced to 57 months in prison in February 2025.

MLB was forced to issue its first suspensions two months later, in June 2024, for violations involving the new gambling policies.

That March, one of the legal sportsbook operators had discovered accounts tied to multiple active players and reported the matter to the league offices. Following an investigation, four players — infielder José Rodriguez and pitchers Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, and Andrew Saalfrank — received one-year suspensions.

The first, infielder Tucupita Marcano, was placed on the permanently ineligible list. He was the only one of the group actively on a major league roster when the bets were placed.

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