The Padres are a player Tucupita Marcano is under investigation by Major League Baseball for betting on baseball while a member of the Pirates, according to a report from Jared Diamond and Lindsey Adler of The Wall Street Journal. Marcano faces a lifetime ban. Four other players are being investigated for betting on baseball while in the minor leagues, although the identities of those others are unknown. The report adds that there is no evidence at this time that games are being used.
Marcano, 24, was placed on the injured list by the Pirates in July of last year and ended up having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right knee. The Padres said he was released in November and has been on the disabled list for the entirety of 2024 until now, recovering from that surgery.
According to a report from Diamond and Adler, Marcano “is accused of betting on games involving the Pittsburgh Pirates last season while on the team's injured list.” According to the report, the league and the MLB Players' Association are still discussing Marcano's final punishment but, as mentioned, a lifetime ban is on the table. Marcano, the league and the union all declined to comment for this piece, though the Padres issued a statement:
“We are aware of the investigation conducted by Major League Baseball regarding the matter that occurred when the player in question was a member of another organization and not associated with the San Diego Padres. We will not have any further comment until the investigation is completed.”
Brian Warecki, senior vice president of communications for the Pirates, also released a statement, relayed by Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to X. “We are aware of the matter being investigated and we are fully cooperating with it. We will decline to comment further at this time.”
As relayed in the WSJ piece, the league's gambling policy is prominently displayed in every clubhouse. Baseball players are legally allowed to bet on other sports but not on baseball. A player who bets on teams other than his own faces a one-year ban but betting on a match involving his own team results in a lifetime ban.
Gambling scandals have been around almost as long as baseball itself. Most famously, the “Black Sox Scandal” saw eight members of the 1919 White Sox banned for life after being accused of bribing gamblers to throw that year's World Series. MLB's all-time hits leader Pete Rose was also banned for life in 1989 after allegations that he gambled with the Reds during his time as a player and manager.
Recently, gambling scandals have come back into the spotlight, thanks to a 2018 Supreme Court decision that opened the door for states to legalize the practice. Ippei Mizuhara, former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani, is in the process of pleading guilty to bank fraud and filing false tax returns in connection with a gambling scandal. So far, the evidence in that case shows that he did not bet on baseball. However, he bet with an illegal bookie in California, where sports betting is still illegal. He is accused of stealing millions of dollars from an account in Ohtani's name to pay off his debts. David Fletcher of the Braves and is being investigated for betting with the same bookie as Mizuhara, although Fletcher is not accused of betting on baseball. Gambling has become a problem in other sports as well, with Jontay Porter receiving a ban from the NBA for gambling violations while playing for the Raptors.
Mizuhara and Fletcher both bet on other games in the area where it is illegal, and Mizuhara is suspected of committing several financial crimes. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred discussed the situation last month and said the league will take measures to close until the legal process is successful.
Marcano's situation will appear to be a different story. If these allegations are found to be true and he actually bet on the Pirates while he was a member of the club, it would appear to be a definite case that would result in a permanent ban. More details about this case, and the cases of the other four players, will no doubt emerge in the future.
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