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Minnesota Twins superstar Miguel Sanó told a Dominican Republic newspaper that he’s being blackmailed and being accused of kidnapping and assault.
On Thursday, the Twins said they were aware of the report in El Nuevo Diario and they are still trying to find out more information about the situation involving Sanó, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract in January and will be the team’s first baseman when Major League Baseball resumes.
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“We will continue to monitor the situation and hope to have more as it becomes available,” Twins spokesman Dustin Morse said.
The newspaper reported that Odalis Ramos, a lawyer, has accused Sanó and three of his friends of kidnapping, beating, and threatening to hang his client, Raudy Omar Sanchez de la Cruz, last month in Sanó’s hometown of San Pedro de Macoris.
Sanó denied all of the accusations to the newspaper, and he said that Sanchez de la Cruz was involved in a sexual assault incident that included someone related to Sanó. So far, no charges have been filed, but the local prosecutor’s office has a hearing scheduled for June 25, according to the newspaper.
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Sanó said that he told the newspaper that Ramos has requested $10 million Dominican pesos, which is equivalent to about $170,000 in U.S. dollars, to drop all of the accusations. In return, Sanó said that he would sue Ramos for $30 million pesos, or about $500,000 American currency.
Last season, Sanó smashed a career-high 34 home runs, and he had a career-best .923 on-base-plus-slugging-percentage, despite a rough start to the season after he badly cut his heel during a celebration of his team’s winter league championship in the Dominican Republic.