The Pittsburgh Pirates have placed closer Felipe Vazquez onto administrative leave after he was arrested in Lee County, Florida. Vazquez was arrested and charged with one count of child pornography, solicitation of a child, and providing obscene materials to minors according to the tweet from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. It is reported that Vazquez has had a continued relationship with a minor in Lee County, Florida who was thirteen years old, but is now fifteen.
Pittsburgh Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez has been arrested and charged with one count of computer pornography, solicitation of a child and one count of providing obscene material to minors, according to police in Lee County, Florida.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 17, 2019
Disturbing details from Lee County police on the arrest of Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez, who is facing multiple charges. pic.twitter.com/zkHlrMcgEw
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) September 17, 2019
The Pirates closer is in a tough situation now and will most certainly be receiving punishment for the actions detailed above. In 2019, Vazquez appeared in 56 games for the Pirates where he managed a 1.65 ERA and twenty-eight saves. The Pirates are one of the struggling teams in the National League and a postseason appearance was far from within reach, with Vazquez being on the block at this year’s trade deadline. Ultimately he was not moved, with teams opting to target specialists instead like the Dodgers who traded for Adam Kolarek.
An investigation has been opened, and the final charges could have more added to them, but Vazquez has been arrested, and more news could follow after a continued investigation. The story is developing and could have further updates as more communication becomes available.
