Back at the beginning of the month, the Boston Red Sox released their always smiling and lighthearted first baseman Hanley Ramirez. At the time, he was batting .254/.313/.395 with 29 RBIs in 177 at bats. Since releasing him, the Red Sox seemed to miss a certain aspect to their lineup. They just haven’t looked like the offensive juggernaut that they were in April. This move confused some who thought the move was strictly “baseball related”, according to Red Sox VP of media relations Kevin Gregg. Some thought that this move came because of his pending activation of a $22 million vesting option for 2019, which would kick in if he piled up 497 at bats in 2018.
The Story so Far
Today, ABC News’ Michele McPhee broke that Hanley is being roped into a federal and state investigation. McPhee also reports that Hanley has alleged ties to a party police arrested during a drug stop. The said party possessed 435 grams of Fentanyl and other drugs, and stated that some of the drugs were Hanley’s. According to state evidence, in the past Hanley allegedly made several visits to the Fentanyl ring that police busted.
MLB, Red Sox, and Hanley (via his agent) all deny knowledge of the federal investigation. However, the FBI does not need to inform any of these parties about an investigation while it’s underway. We could all be finding out together.
More to come.