Rob Manfred: MLB Players Say They Have Received Threats over Gambling

As sports leagues continue to wrestle with the proliferation of gambling and their own involvement in it through highly publicized partnerships, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred revealed players have spoken to him about threats they have received.

"If a player receives a threat from any source, on any topic, it is a matter of concern to us that we take really seriously," Manfred said Tuesday when discussing player safety related to gambling, per ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "I've had players in the last month mention this issue to me as one of concern, and we're discussing what we should do to be more proactive in this area."

Gambling has been a focal point throughout the MLB season.

Most notably, Ippei Mizuhara, who is the former interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, pled guilty to bank and tax fraud charges following an investigation that both cleared Ohtani's name of wrongdoing and revealed Mizuhara was stealing money from the slugger to pay off gambling debts.

The story generated plenty of headlines early in the season.

"I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do that on my behalf," Ohtani told reporters in March. "I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple of days ago, I didn't know that this was happening."

The Ohtani situation wasn't the only notable one involving gambling during the season's first half, as San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was suspended for life in June for gambling activities he partook in as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

What's more, Padres pitcher Jay Groome, Oakland A's pitcher Michael Kelly, Philadelphia Phillies infielder José Rodríguez and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank were all issued one-year suspensions.

Yet Manfred expressed confidence that the penalties and the league's relationship with gambling entities will deter future betting activities from players and make it easier to discover violations.

"I'm a believer that penalties and demonstration of your ability to figure what's going on serves as a deterrent," Manfred said. "Working your whole life to get to the major leagues in whatever role and lose that over sports betting, that's a huge penalty.

"I truly believe we're in a better position to know what's going on today than we were in the old days when it was all illegal."

However, receiving threats from gamblers is another concern that goes beyond players themselves participating in betting.

While Manfred didn't offer any specifics, his comments indicated the league will take a serious approach to dealing with such a situation as gambling continues to be more prevalent in the sports world.