Yariel Rodriguez News: Blue Jays reliever sued in Dominican Republic for $2,000,000 over breach of contract
Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez is sued in Dominican court for breach of contract. He is being sued to pay $2 million to the person who took him to the Dominican Republic, according to reports.
The journey began after the 2023 World Classic ended in Miami, as Yariel Rodriguez was supposed to fly to Japan to pitch next. He had a contract with the Chunichi Dragons, but he took a plane to the Dominican Republic and began his defection from Cuba and into the United States.
Raymel Martínez Charón is an old Cuban friend of Rodriguez who helped convince the pitcher to defect and brought him to the Dominican to eventually post for MLB teams. Per Diaro Libre, Rodriguez was convinced to start trying all the way back in 2018.
Charon was supposed to get 25% of Rodriguez's contract for his role, but that was eventually reduced down to 5%. The professional relationship reportedly ended in 2023, but Charón wants the money he was promised anyway.
Once Rodriguez signed for $40 million, his former friend reached out about the fulfilment of the contract they originally agreed to. The pitcher was sued for not honoring the said contract.
The United States and Cuba have a strenuous relationship when it comes to baseball. Cuban athletes have long been forced to defect from their country to play in America thanks to the United States' 60-year trade embargo and other obstacles.
Rodriguez, like other players before him, wanted to play in the MLB and decided to leave Cuba following his appearance in the WBC. He eventually signed a multi-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
Yariel Rodriguez likely to move into bullpen for Blue Jays
Yariel Rodriguez is expected to eventually move back to the bullpen for the Toronto Blue Jays. The first-year MLB player has been quite good in two starts for the team, with a 2.35 ERA and 13:3 K:BB through 7.2 innings.
He has been on an innings restriction and will go to the bullpen and work shorter outings once Alek Manoah is back. The former Cy Young finalist has been working back through the minor leagues, so his return will force someone out of the rotation and Toronto has decided it's going to be Rodriguez.
This is partially because they want to slowly ramp Rodriguez up. He's not used to the workload of an MLB season, and the team wants to be more careful with their investment.