Report: Blue Jays shopping suspended closer Roberto Osuna

With Roberta Osuna’s future with the Blue Jays up in the air, to say the least, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported Monday that the team is indeed shopping the closer ahead of the trade deadline.

Rosenthal has been told by other MLB executives that the team has been trying to move on from the suspended reliever.

This follows a report by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, who wrote in his column this past Tuesday:

“The most intriguing name could be Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberto Osuna, who is eligible to return Aug. 4 from a 75-game suspension for domestic violence. The Jays are shopping him, would the Astros or anyone else touch him?”

An assault charge was laid against Osuna on May 8 after an alleged incident involving a woman. Major League Baseball then handed the 23-year-old a 75-game suspension on June 22, which was the third-longest ever under the league and players’ joint domestic abuse policy. He’s eligible to return to the majors on August 5 — four days after he is scheduled to appear in court next.

Osuna took the suspension without appeal, but his lawyer, Domenic Basile, made it clear that the acceptance of the ban will have no impact on Osuna’s fate in court.

“I want to make it clear, there is no admission of guilt by Roberto Osuna with respect to what happened with Major League Baseball,” Basile said earlier this month.

“They imposed that suspension. He’s not appealing it and he’s not going through the process. It is a confidential agreement between Major League Baseball and the players association but again, there’s no admission of guilt by Roberto and it doesn’t change anything in the criminal court.”

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins last spoke on the issue at the end of June, making it known that the team intended to keep Osuna in his same closer’s role when he returns from suspension.

“Roberto is our closer.”