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Mets’ Jeurys Familia has domestic violence charged dropped

By Brad Berreman

Sep 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) reacts to a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The New York Mets won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 30, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia (27) reacts to a victory against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The New York Mets won 5-1. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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A domestic violence charge against New York Mets reliever Jeurys Familia has been dropped, but he’s surely still facing punishment from MLB.

New York Mets closer Jeurys Familia was arrested on a domestic violence charge involving his wife on Oct. 31, and after some delay in the court system he pled not guilty at a hearing. There was then some expectation the charge would be dropped, at the request of Familia’s wife, and on Thursday that finally came to fruition.

Familia will not face any more criminal proceedings in the state of New Jersey, but he is not out of the woods with Major League Baseball. Commissioner Rob Manfred has already levied significant punishment to a player twice in relation to domestic violence charges, with Jose Reyes (52 games) and Aroldis Chapman (30 games) serving their bans at the start of last season. In both cases, as it now is with Familia, charges on the criminal level were ultimately dropped. In Reyes’ case specifically, his wife declined to cooperate with prosecutors.

With Chapman’s suspension as the likely template, Kristie Ackert of the New York Daily News has reported Familia’s inevitable suspension is likely to be at least 30 games. Now that the public, legal side of things is over, MLB’s investigation into Familia’s situation is likely to ramp up. Even with no timetable for a decision, a formal announcement of Familia’s suspension seems sure to come soon.

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Familia led the majors with a Mets’ franchise record 51 saves last season, earning the first All-Star nod of his career along the way and setting a single-season record for saves by a Dominican-born reliever. It’s trivial in the bigger picture, with even the possibility of domestic violence, but Addison Reed is in line to start the 2017 season as the Mets’ closer.

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