Michael Kelly, a reliever for the Oakland A’s, wagered less than $100 on a couple baseball wagers in 2021. He will have to pay more than 7,500 times that price for it.
On Tuesday, MLB announced it was suspending five players, including Kelly, for betting on baseball. While Kelly was one of four players suspended for a year, San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban for his gambling activity.
According to MLB’s investigation, Kelly, then a minor leaguer in the Houston Astros organization, placed 10 baseball bets in October of 2021. Kelly did not appear in any of the games he bet on and the league noted there was no evidence to suggest the games were compromised in any way. The total amount of money Kelly wagered came to just $99.22. MLB said Kelly won a total of $28.30 from his bets.
But the relatively small amount will cost Kelly dearly. According to Baseball Prospectus’ contract website, the righthander was set to make $750,000 this season ($10,000 more than the major league minimum).
Moreover, Kelly was in the midst of the best season of his career by far. In just two months, he’d already nearly doubled his previous innings total and was sporting an excellent 2.59 ERA. He is not appealing the league’s discipline and thus will not be eligible to return to the mound until June 2025.
Shortly after the suspensions announcement the Oakland A’s released a statement supporting MLB’s decision.
“The A’s were disappointed to learn of the matter involving Michael Kelly. While we cannot comment on the details, this violation occurred prior to Michael joining the A’s organization and we fully support MLB’s sports betting policy and the need to adhere to all provisions of Rule 21. We will continue to educate all members of our organization regarding their obligations under the policy,” read the statement.
Be the first to comment