According to The Wall Street Journal, Marcano allegedly bet on Pittsburgh Pirates games last year while he was a player for the team and the bets were made while he was sidelined with a torn anterior cruciate ligament. A person familiar with the investigation said there are no concerns that Marcano influenced Pirates games to make money.
“We are aware of the ongoing investigation and are cooperating fully,” the Pirates said in a statement Monday. “We will have no further comment at this time.”
“We are aware of an ongoing investigation by Major League Baseball regarding an issue that occurred while the player in question was with a different organization unrelated to the San Diego Padres,” the Padres said in a statement. “We will not be making any further comment until that investigation has been completed.”
MLB declined to comment and a representative for Marcano did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Marcano began his MLB career with San Diego in 2021. After two seasons with Pittsburgh, he returned to the Padres last offseason but has yet to play in a game while on the disabled list. In his MLB career, he has appeared in 149 games, batting .217 with five home runs.
The Marcano investigation is just the latest concern for baseball as sports betting becomes widely legal in the U.S. The issue was thrust into the public spotlight when news broke in March that Ohtani's interpreter, Mizuhara Ippei, had embezzled millions of dollars from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to pay off gambling debts. Mizuhara later agreed to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of filing a false tax return.
As a result of its investigation into bookmaker Matthew Bowyer, who allegedly accepted Mizuwon's bets, MLB has opened an investigation into former Los Angeles Angels infielder David Fletcher, who is now a minor league player for the Atlanta Braves. MLB allows players to bet on other sports, but betting with illegal bookmakers can result in suspension.
Rose, MLB's all-time hit leader, was blacklisted in 1989 while managing the Cincinnati Reds. He is the most famous baseball figure to suffer that fate in recent decades, which is why he missed out on the Hall of Fame.
Though MLB posts warnings against betting on baseball on clubhouse doors and teams enforce the rules on the morning of spring training, it's easier than ever to bet on games, and with odds, prop bets and sportsbook ads flooding every broadcast, MLB is pushing betting on games more prominently than ever before.
