Carlos Marmol Faces Allegation of Abuse

Carlos Marmol is looking to have quite an eventful off season despite the lack of trade rumors the last few weeks. The Cubs closer’s winter break started off with a bang caused by some possible misinterpretation or misunderstanding between the player and Latino media. At the time it appeared that Marmol himself had broken the news that he had been traded to the Diamondbacks for starter Dan Haren.

The signing of Japanese reliever Kyuji Fujikawa brought some indirect attention to Marmol, as the free agent figures to either push Marmol to keep a firm grip on the closer job or eventually push Marmol out the door, despite a lack of trading block rumors.

July 6, 2012; New York, NY, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Marmol (49) reacts to loading the bases during the ninth inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Now this afternoon, news has broken out that Marmol is facing allegations of abuse from a woman, according to a news site in his homeland the Dominican Republic. No charges have been filed by the police, but the lawyers of the 24 year old woman have filed a criminal complaint referencing Dominican codes on violence against women. Marmol’s lawyers have responded by saying that the woman is looking to extort and blackmail the professional baseball player.

There are no further details yet as to whether the abuse was sexual or physical, but the lack of formal charges by the police leaves questions as to the level of seriousness of the abuse.

Marmol is the second Latino Cubs player within the last year or so to have had accusations presented against him. Cubs fans may recall that Starlin Castro also had a women making allegations against him, although that situation occurred in Chicago. Players from Latin and South America in recent years have been the target of kidnappers and robberies due to their known financial wealth as Major League Baseball players. While Marmol will remain innocent until proven guilty on these allegations, the situation at the least serves as a reminder that these players need to be aware that they have targets on their backs for people trying to make a quick buck off of their status as pro ballplayers in America.