Report: MLB investigating Mike Clevinger after domestic violence allegations
Mike Clevinger has yet to throw a pitch for the White Sox, and perhaps he never will.
The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli and Katie Strang reported that Clevinger has been under league investigation for allegations of domestic abuse and child abuse since last summer.
Olivia Finestead, the 24-year-old mother of Clevinger’s child, told The Athletic on Tuesday that she has been in contact with individuals from MLB’s Department of Investigations since this summer. According to Finestead, she has detailed to those investigators incidents of physical, verbal and emotional abuse, including an incident from last June in which Finestead said Clevinger choked her, and another about two weeks later when she said Clevinger slapped her in a hotel room when the team was playing the Dodgers and threw used chewing tobacco on their child.
The story is out now because Finestead disclosed the allegations in an explosive, public Instagram story earlier today. It’s easy to search for if you have an Instagram account, but due to the graphic descriptions included, I will leave that to be a personal choice for the reader.
As for the White Sox, they said in a statement that they only became aware of the investigation after signing him to a one-year, $12 million contract that became official in early December.
“Major League Baseball and the Chicago White Sox take any and all allegations very seriously, and the White Sox are completely supportive of the Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse policy shared by MLB and the MLBPA,” the team said in a statement issued to The Athletic. “MLB opened an investigation after learning of these allegations. The White Sox were not aware of the allegations or the investigation at the time of his signing. The White Sox will refrain from comment until MLB’s investigative process has reached its conclusion.”
(Eight days passed between the White Sox reportedly agreeing to a deal with Clevinger and the White Sox making it official.)
Due process and all that, but Clevinger’s off-field behavior has made news before. Cleveland traded him to San Diego in 2020 shortly after he violated COVID-19 protocols in Chicago, and while he might’ve been dealt anyway, the displeasure of the front office and his teammates greased the skids.
In 2021, Clevinger’s name also surfaced during Trevor Bauer’s legal process, as Bauer’s accuser confirmed a relationship with Clevinger during a cross-examination in the hearing over granting a restraining order.
About the time of her first sexual encounter with Bauer, the woman said in a message to her cousin: “Trevor is a wackadoodle like Clev.” That message, and the one mentioning Tatis, were not included in the woman’s request for a restraining order. She reluctantly identified Clev as Clevinger.
One shouldn’t expect a comment from the White Sox anytime soon if Tony La Russa’s DUI charge is any indication. Then again, La Russa’s legal trouble was revealed early in early November, and concluded just before Christmas. With pitchers and catchers reporting on Feb. 15, they only have a few more weeks where silence is truly an option.
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If there is a worse organization in sports than the Sox, I’d be very surprised. They had to know about this before they signed Clevinger. And if they didn’t, then that takes their incompetence to a new level. I feel very sorry for the players stuck in this organization.
In the IG story she does say that she was told the White Sox did not have a clue about the investigation.
I really hope that this is true, not to reduce culpability of the FO but for the safety of the families of the players. I’m sure there’s some privacy built into the Joint Policy for those accused, though what exactly I’m not sure.
I would hazard a guess that Clevinger’s lawyers fought to keep it confidential as long as possible. Which also explains why he was eager to sign as soon as possible, because no one would touch him if he were still a FA when this news broke, or at least when teams learned.
“Anything we should know about?” would seem to be a question a competent org. would ask anyoune they are about to pay millions of guaranteed dollars.
ESPECIALLY someone with Clevingers’ reputation.
“Anything we should know about?” would seem to be an appropriate question from a competent org. lookinng to pay someone millions of dollars of guaranteed money. Especially someone with his reputaution.
If someone who looked like Mike Clevinger applied to work at Domino’s Pizza it would probably trigger a thorough background check.
100% agree, a totally incompetent organization rotting from the FO up to ownership. One phone call from the White Sox chief of security (they probably don’t have one) to the MLB chief of investigations would have stopped this from happening. The MLB office wouldn’t be able to say that yes there was an active investigation, but they wouldn’t have said no either. We know they don’t do this due diligence since they already hired a two time DUI loser manager. This phone call takes place in every major sport every day by competent professionals, all except the White Sox.
The contract should be torn up tonight and challenge the Clevinger side to take them to court. The Univ of Texas just canned their head coach for domestic violence even though the charges were dropped, and their liability is much higher.
Force the sale of the franchise if they don’t immediately terminate this contract.
Search google for Daniel Snyder.
The Commanders seem to be an aspiration for the White Sox and not a cautionary tale.
Disgusting.
My only question; is the Sox FO incompetent or complicit?
I would have to say a little from column A and a little from column B.
Or a lot…
The article quotes MLB as saying the White Sox did not know about the incident prior to the signing, but as Rob Hart mentioned on Twitter between this, the LaRussa DUI incident and the situation surrounding Omar Vizquel it would appear that at the very least the White Sox have a problem with due diligence.
The Vizquel situation might not have gone over so poorly had they not sent him away with a glowing review. At least they sent Wes Helms packing in the middle of the season without a word, I guess.
When it couldn’t go any lower for the inept White Sox FO and miser owner… now there is this.
Clevinger has had issues in the past in regards to his attitude / personal demeanor. They had their chance to sign a decent starter and or resign Cueto.Now, because of Ebenezer Reinsdorf and his self imposed salary cap they are screwed.
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that an organization that is bad at on-field decisions is also bad at off-field decisions.
So, who’s left on the free agent market? And don’t say Trevor Bauer…
I think Zack Greinke and Michael Wacha are still out there.
Both of them had much better 2022’s than Clevinger and might have been better than him all along. Seriously. Neither is a bad idea and either is better than Davis Martin.
Grinke will be resigning with KC. I’ve heard other potential suitors have been informed it is KC or retirement. He’s purchased a home and moved his family. He resides in KC during the office season. Supposedly upon retirement… he has an open offer to join the KC front office.
Not sure about Wacha’s status. But just can’t see him settling for the same deal Clevinger agreed to with the Sox.
I have been more concerned about Clevinger than I would be about Bauer. The facts are more clear as to Clevinger, I believe.
I’m not defending Bauer nor do I support or condone him. At all. But I will say that it is interesting that the mlb people in charge of assessing his situation and determining the appropriate punishment came up with an initial suspension length for him – and then later reduced it by 130 games. I have no idea what the details were, but for them to reduce the suspension by that much certainly implies that some things came to light that gave them reason to believe his original sentence was not justified. I never saw much of an explanation given as to why the reduction, I would be curious to know. Perhaps some of the accusations were discredited to some degree, it almost had to be the case. I’m all for punishing the guilty, but due process needs to be served, and certainly the primary female accuser did not sound like a high character person herself. Obviously Bauer was guilty of some bad stuff as he confessed to, but women have been known to lie and exaggerate a time or two as well. Very curious why the 130 game reduction.
At any rate I think best for the Sox to stay clear of ex Cleveland pitchers!
It sounds like you are defending Bauer, or at least providing him cover. I am less curious about the reduction of his suspension and more certain that his 194 games of punishment was justified.
You are a complete troll if you think anything I wrote defended him or provided him cover. That’s not what I said, at all. And I was careful to make that clear and choose my words carefully because of people like you, who enjoy reading your own woke narrative into what people say or write just so you can contradict or attack them.
Nowhere did I suggest that Bauer was innocent or defend him. Not one word. What I posed was a reasonable question, because the suspension was reduced significantly without explanation that I am aware of. I know less than 5 percent of the details about Bauer’s case, just like you. He’s clearly a guy with real problems, and just served the longest suspension in MLB history because of what he did, part of which he confessed to. I’ll leave it at that, I’ve learned it is best not to argue with the voice from the swamp.
Nope, not a troll. I read your post and then this response, and stand by my interpretation. I’ll also take you calling me “woke” as a compliment.
You thoroughly try to discredit Bauer’s accuser, and you’re playing the same game with Clevenger’s who has photographs of her injuries.
I think too many dudes are comfortable with how dangerous it is for a woman to step up and bear witness to abuse.
Seriously, you don’t get to announce what you think you convey, then drop all sorts of unproven insinuations about the accusers.
Asking about what the reasons might be for a 40 percent reduction in suspension length, and speculating reasonably that it might be because some evidence turned out to be flimsy hardly goes toward what you wrote. In no way did I imply that he wasn’t an awful guy, or did not deserve punishment.
Nothing I wrote deserves insinuating like I support Bauer or violence. For the last time, I don’t support him in any way, shape, or form, period. There is enough bad energy in the world, I do my best not to add to it and create conflict needlessly. And I resent having to reply to people who are telling me what I meant, instead of listening to what I am telling you that I actually meant, like respectful adults would. I am the complete opposite of someone who would endorse or promote violence, against women or anybody. I’m a kind person that does part time charity work, and try to be respectful to others on this board. Perhaps I need to learn to communicate better and choose my words more carefully, undoubtedly. We all make mistakes and say or write things we regret, or that are misinterpreted or are misunderstood. I apologize to anyone I offended, even if what you are offended by is not what I actually meant in the first place.
The remainder of this night is time you will never get back. Don’t waste more of it, or your energy, on this. I am trying to diffuse this and let it die. I humbly and apologetically wish you all a peaceful night.
If you don’t support him, then don’t support him. Don’t ding his accuser. The word “but” is a negative conjunction. Comedians do entire bits about “but”. If you find yourself writing a sentence that sound like, “I totally hate rape and rapists, but…..” just stop. Nothing good is going to come after that word.
Yes, it sucks trying to explain yourself. You can’t dig out. This is the internet. Learn that.
“Nothing that comes before the word “but” counts.”
-Benjen Stark
The instant you use the term “woke” in a derogatory manner, you lose all credibility with me.
Baurer ultimately appealed his suspension to a panel of 3 arbiters. 1 from the MLB, 1 from MLBPA, and a neutral 3rd party. The panel reviewed all the allegations, the fact that he wasn’t actually found guilty as there wasn’t even enough evidence for him to be charged; and decided that the initial suspension was more than enough. Be careful going around and saying he was guilty, when he wasn’t even charged, and as you said women do make up accusations all the time and we are quick to believe them. Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard. TB has definitely has said / done some questionable stuff; ultimately baseball is a place of second chances and I’d like to see a great redemption story out of him.
He confessed to some of it. I’d say that’s an indication of some guilt.
Jesus, one person attacks me for defending him, which I did not do, then another for falsely accusing him? I just was asking a reasonable bleeping question about his suspension reduction! This comment board has a couple people with serious reading comprehension issues.
I wasn’t attacking you, trying to explain why he didn’t have to serve the entire thing. Yes he confessed that he did it, but that it was consensual; at least that’s my understanding. Supposedly there’s a video tape out there showing her agreeing to it or something.
Abuse is the sports talk third rail. MLBTR.com shuts down the comments on all rape and abuse stories.
Quick question, if women are making up accusations all the time, as you say, isn’t it at least possible that a guy who is accused of choking a sex partner to the point of passing out might be lying, too? Or is that impossible? Weird how we must be careful of accusing guys who are outwardly abusive, but we can let fly with calling a woman a liar with no actual history of lying.
What you say certainly has merit but everyone deserves a chance to defend themselves. Think of how many hoaxes have been reported in the media the last 5,10 years. His accuser has pictures, yes. But we don’t know that clevinger caused them. She says he did. He says he didn’t. It’s possible or someone to mark themself up to accuse someone of doing it, especially when millions of dollars are involved. Not saying he’s innocent. Just that we shouldn’t mark him or anyone guilty without due process. You wouldn’t want it if you were charged with something.
JFC.
I saw today that Clevinger’s rep said they “need time before responding”. Can’t find your claim that he said he didn’t do it.
This little nitpick is, of course, secondary to the level of “that guy” your post portrays you to be. But I thought I’d throw it out there.
Lmao. I’m “that guy”. Yes I’m that guy that was raised on innocent until proven guilty not I saw something on instagram so I know it’s true. If he’s guilty he’ll be out of baseball.
Fine, I won’t mark him guilty. I also don’t want him on the team and am highly disappointed the White Sox apparently did minimal to zero due diligence into his background, which was sketchy to begin with.
No, actually, Mike Clevenger and Trever Bauer really don’t deserve a chance to defend themselves. If one liar accuses you of beating her up, you got a really good chance of getting away from that. If 3 women accuse you of beating them up, I don’t owe you my credulity. Tell me, have multiple women accused you of rape or battery? I’m guessing no, Adam. You know why? Because you’re a good guy, and you don’t rape women. And you don’t beat up your girlfriends.
Dude, this isn’t one person crawling out of the woodwork, and bringing down some poor dude. These are multiple people telling the same story about these same guys. Occam’s Razor.
100%. We see this court of PR a lot, where we just assume the worst and that someone is guilty. I won’t go into detail but I’ve been on the side of someone making something up and accusing me of stuff to get what they want. There were two D1 football players who were accused of Rape, they fought it all the way to court and were found innocent. The woman finally admitted that she made it up to get the attention of the other guy. My point being not all accusations are true, yes the guy can lie. There is a difference between being accused of something, an investigation, being charged with something, and being found guilty. In our modern world, we hear an accusation and we automatically jump to guilty.
Oh, okay. So one woman lied. I guess that means that all women must be circumspect. But I’m sure we can pull one example of a sports dude who actually raped or beat up a woman. Does that mean that all sports athletes are now rapists and abusers?
I don’t think this particular discussion is going to helpful ends.
Agreed.
While I joined here to generally discuss baseball, baseball is played by human beings. And humans of both genders will continue to lie and abuse. While eroding at warp speed I like to believe we are still a country of laws and due process is something we are afforded no matter how egregious the charge. Adam is right to mention that long forgotten matter of innocent until proven guilty. I respectfully disagree and we should not turn away from discourse no matter how unpleasant. But we should endeavor respectfully and within the framework of jurisprudence in such cases.I do not find anything LamarHoyt_oncrack said as offensive and the question raised legitimate. Further in my humble opinion you should not feel obligated to take a knee to the abuse because two things can be true at the same time. I guess the character who said “this is the Internet” is right. But are you doing anything to make it better?
I would hope that the arbiter calling a 194 game suspension, longest in MLB history, “appropriate” and continuing to dock his pay through 50 games of the upcoming season would be all you need to know about Bauer.
Weirdly doesn’t seem like it is.
For what it’s worth…Bauer’s suspension was reduced per a ruling by an independent arbitrator, not by MLB.
And that largely for a lack of precedent and specific rules more than in any way that absolved Bauer.
Accused rapists, domestic abusers and unrepentant, entitled alcoholics.
-Rick Hahn’s White Sox.
Bet Daryl Boston is outraged.
Seriously, Reinsdorf and his cohorts are garbage.
Reminder: the Clevinger signing represents about 50% of the 2023 payroll investment added via external acquisitions.
“Sack the board” – All that Sox fans and Everton supporters have left to say at this point
Oh my…You are an Everton and White Sox fan? my sympathies.
Thanks. Yeah. It’s not a lot of fun.
Damn that is rough…Mashiri is clueless like Jerry, but at least he spends money.
Rog?
Doh, SOX FO blindsided again! Might help them avoid their annual $12M offseason mistake if they can void the contract. Does their major league talent evaluation rely soley on performance versus the SOX, while ignoring the rest of their performance or character?
I’m actually fine with a revolving door at 2B or taking a chance with Colas & co. in RF, but 5th starter going to a pool of 4A pitchers could be the death knell for this organization. Looking like a sub .500 season a’comin!
At this point, give Davis Martin a chance. He is the only one on the Charlotte roster I’d trust at this point.
I like Davis Martin just fine, but he represents the only semblance of rotation depth pre-Clevinger. If he is in your opening day rotation, they you really are playing without a net.
Unless Sean Burke comes storming out of the gate, they are royally screwed the instant a starter goes down.
Right now, they are instantly screwed before a starter goes down.
I think Davis Martin is a serviceable enough fifth starter, but I preferred him as a backup as opposed to the thin bulwark from disaster.
Well there is only one thing left to do to make this shitshow complete. Sign Bauer to replace Clevinger. (this is a joke)
Several successful organizations manipulate the IL and rotate pitchers through. Maybe the Sox were planning to do that, only with suspensions. Trev and Clev could be foundational pieces of that strategy. Just need one more low character guy.
Horse crap organization
Even horse crap makes its way into a parade.
yeesh
Sell the team, Jerry.
No one should expect better than 3rd place for this team.
After thinking it couldn’t get worse than 2022 we’ve got cancer and domestic violence on the board for 2023 and nobody’s even reported for ST. What’s next? Do Moncada and Robert get kidnapped and taken back to Cuba during a WBC practice? Team is cursed
Jerry Reinsdorf, Rick Hahn, and Kenny Williams have no business making personnel decisions for an ice cream truck, let alone a billion-dollar organization. The day none of them have access to GRF can’t come soon enough.
I second that motion!!!!
N-ice!
Outside of Sox park, there should be a statue of Jerry and Hahn together: worst there ever was, worst there ever will be.
I can’t wait until they name a food stand after these white sox legends.
Jerry and Rick’s Shitburgers?
Investigating doesn’t mean guilty. Let’s ultimately see what comes of the investigation, should the allegations be true (probably are). Phuck Clevinger.
I had Clevinger in my offseason plan. I also did not do much in regards to due diligence with his background and was not risking millions of dollars on signing him, but do recall a few comments saying he had signficant baggage. That the White Sox, ostensibly a professional organization with near limitless resources, did roughly the same amount of checking into him that I did is pretty pathetic.
Lost for words. This shitshow organization is not only incompetent but frequently brings disgrace and shame to the sport and fans. And no accountability. You cannot make this shit up. How can I watch or cheer for a team when this asshole pitches? How? Can anybody help? I welcome any tips because right now all I can think of is turning the TV off when he pitches. I hope he never does.
I would think, if the investigation is still ongoing at the start of spring training… MLB will put him on the restriction list and he will be paid, just as Bauer was at the onset of his walk through the cesspool.
Let’s hope, but this is still the clown-show that is the Chicago Laughingstocks… I mean White Sox.
I’ve more or less become a Sox Machine fan, instead of a White Sox fan.
It allows me to keep up with what was my favorite sports team for over 40 years, without directly supporting the turds responsible for turning it into an absolut s-show.
And the door is open for my return, without a knowledge gap, should the ship ever be righted.
Thanks, Sox Machine Crew!
I totally agree with you…
It’s pretty much impossible for me to continue being a fan of this organization when the only national headlines they’ve made during their competitive window have been various ways in which they’ve embarrassed themselves.
It seems like only yesterday the White Sox had one of the brightest futures in all of baseball. Now look. It only took a few years for them to become an embarrassment again. One championship in 105 years.
I don’t think they ever stopped being an embarrassment. Even their 2021 season, ostensibly the apex of their competitive window, had its fair share of travesties, mostly involving LaRussa.
Their fate was sealed when they did nothing the two offseasons prior to this one, when the players that could help them the most and that they needed were available. Scorched earth, now.
Bears get the #1 pick, they’re the only hope for Chicago the next few years probably. Unless the Cubs keep having good offseasons, which I fear. They’re a long ways off though.
I don’t know what sort of haul the Bears are gonna get for that pick, but they have a LOT of ground to make up given how many picks were given away in the preceding 15 years.
True. But Justin Fields plus an apparently half way decent GM, cap room, and the #1 pick is more reason for hope than anything that’s going to change with the Sox until there is an ownership change, basically.
Bears are probably 2 years away from being interesting if they make some good moves. Sox are an infinite number of years away until they get a new owner.
I would like a legal opinion here, since I only play a lawyer on tv, but can’t an organization write a clause into a contract stating that the player has no known open legal or MLB policy infraction investigations open that may cause suspension and that if the player is found to have hidden this information, the contract may be voided?
My guess is that it would violate the CBA, because it already has a negotiated process for investigating and resolving such matters.
I know specific disclosure violates several rules, but I don’t know that a broad acknowledgement of a situation is against the rules. I’d be interested to know specifically.
I’d just imagine that the union wouldn’t want to leave its members vulnerable to an investigation voiding a contract, because who’s to say a team wouldn’t insist upon a meritless investigation in order to get out of from under a bad deal?
Well, we’re referring to an existing situation upon the signing of the contract, so that seems a bit different.
Nothing is to say that they wouldn’t try to get out of a contract via meritless investigation, but the arbitrator sure to rule in any such case is very likely to reject the attempt to void the contract if the investigation is meritless. If they are still concerned, they could up the level of proof required to void a contract for such things — like moving from “more likely than not” to “clear and convincing evidence.”
You may be completely right, but there are good reasons why the CBA’s typical investigation/punishment procedures might not apply to failure to disclose already existing investigations before signing a contract.
For investigations of post-contract conduct, the central question will be something like: “Did this domestic violence happen and should there be major punishment, such as voiding the contract, as a result?” The same kind of investigation can arise regarding pre-contract allegations — for instance if the player disclosed it to the club and the club agreed to sign him anyway — but if the player didn’t disclose the existing investigation, you’d be looking not at whether the alleged conduct was a violation or not, but only whether the player properly disclosed it. Kind of like asking whether the contract was induced by fraud, rather than asking only whether the player violated a term of the contract. So the question for failure to disclose would be something like: “Did the player disclose known investigations already underway before signing the contract, and if not, were the allegations, taken to be true for present purposes, sufficient to warrant voiding the contract.”
Again, no idea what the CBA actually says. But it makes plenty of sense to me that teams should be able to void contracts signed after initiation of investigations which were not disclosed and were of sufficient severity.
So *that’s* why they cancelled SoxFest.
I think they would have regardless of this turd sandwich.
Listen guys, the black hole that is 2B is about to be addressed with…..Nicky Lopez. Assuming that Kenny (Rosenthal) and Bobby Nightengale have their facts straight, of course.
Need to dive into his profile, but that’s such a lovely move. Okay I’m turning sarcasm off now.
Nicky who? I can’t even bother anymore.
He sucks.
Madrigal? Yes he does too.
I would have thought I’d be excited by the Sox possibly acquiring a lefty hitting 2B who was worth 5.9 fWAR as recently as 2021, but here we are.
If I want to be optimistic (and I don’t really feel optimistic right now), the banning of the shift should make second base defense more important, and he’s a good glove man. I really don’t relish the idea of watching him hit, though. I don’t think he’s any good.
Maybe that an indicator on just how worthless WAR is as a psuedo stat. 3 out 4 seasons with an OPS+ under 60 and yet zomg he’s a 6 WAR player!! because he didn’t suck one year.
The metric is fine. What you are describing is someone misusing it.
It’s not a metric its an opinion.
Oh.
I don’t think the guy is exactly a great bet to repeat that
I love Sox Machine. I love Sox fans.
I absolutely hate Jerry, RH and KW. Gaslighting fakes. To hell with the contention window. It’s shut
Waiting for a new owner and new GM.
Yup. I will have a hard time watching them if they start out as bad as I imagine they might, with a brutal first month schedule. Will probably never attend an in person game again until or unless there is an ownership change. Time to move on until that happens.
So is it safe to say that Rick and Kenny are safe in their job? No level of incompetence cannot be ignored by Jerry. Of course, even if someone did the right thing we’d be treated to Chris Getz as the new GM. The funny, if you can call it that, thing about this is that this was the only planned move they had this off season. They were no doubt as shocked as everyone else that Pollock opted out so the Benintendi signing was a reaction move. Everything else they were willing to do nothing. And yet, they couldn’t stop the one thing they had planned from turning to an utter shit show. Honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if Benintendi turns out to have a preexisting condition.
Benintendi said all the right things after signing. However, My questions to the Sox Machine faithful are;
i don’t know if it’s possible, but I would like to see a stat of Sox players that became free agents through the years, how many of them stayed with the Sox (percentage of returnees)? How does that compare to other teams stats?
Since the beginning of free agency, how many free agents have signed with the Sox? What are other teams cumulative totals on signing free agents?
All of the years of free agency and the best the Sox can do is sign someone for $75m?
My gut is telling me that free agents really DO NOT want to come here!
I tend to agree with your supposition, which is why I believe that the White Sox should try to accommodate players that affirmatively want to be here. Abreu at 3 years/60M is too high a price, but why isn’t Cueto here in 2023? And that would have avoided the Clevinger shitshow.
Continued bad looks on this org make it difficult to enjoy at all. Sadly every step forward is met with a step back year after year. Sick and tired of this franchise putting fans in terrible positions because they cant get out of their own way. Just sucks the life out of caring about the team, especially when they blame adversity on “bad luck” rather than looking at themselves to see what could be done to prevent continual disappointment. Sad situation