Wander Franco Unlikely To Play In MLB Due To Legal Concerns
It seems like Wander Franco, the shortstop for the Tampa Bay Rays, is done playing Major League Baseball. His legal issues back home are so bad that he was sentenced to prison after an inquiry revealed that he had improper contact with a minor and had laundered money.
Franco has been ordered by a judge to be held on a two million Dominican peso (35,000 US dollars) bond and to appear in court every thirty days for six months, according to ESPN’s Enrique Rojas and Z Digital’s Hector Gomez.
Wander Franco might never return to Major League Baseball.
The fact that he was not placed under house arrest or barred from leaving the Dominican Republic suggests that he may be allowed to continue playing in Major League Baseball.
According to John Romano of The Tampa Bay Times in his editorial, Tampa Bay expects Franco to never again wear the uniform of the Rays or any other MLB team.
Romano references the history of cases like Trevor Bauer‘s, where he was almost erased to the point of not receiving a signature and received the highest punishment in MLB history without even having to be proven guilty.
Is it possible to terminate Wander Franco massive contract?
The Rays and MLB may have been silent about Franco’s case due to legal concerns, but eventually, they will have to make a difficult choice about the player’s future in the Dominican Republic.
The Rays’ biggest challenge would be to find a means to terminate the franchise’s largest-ever deal, which is for 182 million dollars over 11 years and is completely guaranteed. Until the matter is resolved, they plan to wait and see what happens.
