Wander Franco of the Tampa Bay Rays is unlikely to return to Major League Baseball because of legal concerns.
There’s problems for him in the Dominican
Wander Franco, a shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, looks to have finished his MLB career. An inquiry revealed that he had an improper relationship with an underage girl and had engaged in money laundering. The Dominican’s legal issues in his own country are so severe that he was sentenced to prison.
A judge has just ordered Franco to be jailed on a two million Dominican peso (35,000 US dollars) bond and to report to court every thirty days for the next six months, according to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas and Z Digital’s Hector Gomez.
Co might never return to Major League Baseball
The fact that he was not put under house arrest or barred from leaving the Dominican Republic suggests that he may be able to continue playing in Major League Baseball.
But according to John Romano of The Tampa Bay Times in his column, the assumption from Tampa Bay is that Franco would never again wear the Rays’ or another MLB team’s shirt in his life.
Romano refers to past instances of cases like Trevor Bauer’s, in which he was essentially erased to the point of not receiving a signature and received the biggest fine in MLB history without even having to be proved guilty.
Can his massive deal be terminated?
Perhaps for legal concerns, the Rays and MLB have not commented on Franco’s position thus far. However, as they consider the player’s options in the Dominican Republic, they will eventually have to make a decision, and it is anticipated to be a difficult one.
Since the money is fully guaranteed, the Rays’ biggest challenge would be to find a method to terminate the largest-ever franchise contract, which is 182 million dollars for 11 years. Until that happens, they will wait to see how the lawsuit plays out.
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