Dusty Baker Has Opinion on Aroldis Chapman's Domestic Violence Incident Without Reading About It

The Nationals were a circus last year and got rid of Matt Williams. The Dusty Baker era in Washington is off to a rousing start as well. At the winter meetings today, Baker was asked about Aroldis Chapman’s domestic violence situation, which has scuttled the trade from the Reds to the Dodgers (Baker previously managed Chapman in Cincinnati).

After saying that he didn’t believe the reports, and that Chapman was a heckuva guy, Baker went further when asked if he had actually read any of the allegations.

Via the Sporting News–

"Q: Were you surprised by–I don’t know how much you read about the allegations? A: I didn’t read it. Q: Are you surprised that this popped up? A: I don’t read most of the stuff you guys write. No, I don’t. Q: I believe you. I didn’t know if you heard anything. A: I heard it from my son. I mean, who’s to say the allegations are true, number one. And who’s to say what you would have done or what caused the problem."

It’s not surprising that a manager would stick by his man. We saw plenty of similar justifications when the Bears signed Ray McDonald, for example. And Aroldis hasn’t been convicted. But that last part comes dangerously close to Stephen A. Smith territory when it comes to suggesting that violence could be justified.

Also, since the teams involved in a trade have put the deal on hold, it’s not something to just casually justify as a member of the league.

Baker also closed with this, which is probably one of those things that best goes unsaid from a baseball executive or manager.