FanHouse Julio Mateo

Well, it's not quite the type of deal that's going to make anyone salivate. But on a trading deadline day with little value switching sides, we'll take what we can get. And so do the Phillies, who have traded for Julio Mateo from the Mariners for minor league shortstop Jesus Merchan.

Mateo, who turns 30 on Thursday, figures to replace righty Ryan Madson, who suffered a strained right shoulder Sunday. The Phillies' bullpen recently was bolstered by the returns of right-handers Tom Gordon and Brett Myers from injuries.

While the Phillies can retain Mateo in 2008 by exercising his $1.5 million club option, it is doubtful that this move will be judged only on its baseball merits.

Mateo was charged with third-degree assault in May after police said that he struck and bit his wife in a Manhattan hotel room.

And now he's on the same team as Brett Myers, who has had his own issues involving spousal abuse, meaning that the same people who criticized the Phillies for allowing Myers to pitch the day after he was arrested for hitting his wife now have more ammunition to blast the Phillies as an organization. As a baseball move, it just shows how desperate the Phillies are, along with most teams, to get help for the bullpen as they are taking a flier on a guy with good stuff, but has been buried at AAA Tacoma all season (albeit with good stats down there: 0.79 ERA, 29 K's and 2 walks in 34 and 1/3 innings).

Unlike some teams in baseball (cough, cough...Devil Rays!) when the Mariners found out about one of their players being arrested for domestic violence, they actually punished him. When Julio Mateo was arrested on May 5th, the Mariners suspended him for 10 days without pay, demoted him to Triple-A, and placed him on the Triple-A Temporarily Inactive list.

Now Mateo is about to be re-instated and join the Tacoma Rainiers.

"Mateo has continued to voluntarily work with his counselor," the team said in a statement, "and the Mariners have been advised by her that he is working diligently and is ready to be returned to the work environment."

When or if the Mariners are going to bring him back to Seattle remains to be seen.

Now don't get me wrong, what Mateo did to his wife was a lot worse than what Elijah Dukes did. Well, that we know about anyway. I don't mean that to sound like Dukes did nothing wrong, but at least he didn't attack his wife. Mateo attacked his wife at the team's hotel in New York after she told him she was leaving him. He punched her in the eye, choked her, and bit her lip so hard that it required five stitches.
Julio Mateo is still a world class (expletive deleted), but at least the Mariners did something to him. Elijah Dukes received no punishment from the Devil Rays, unless you consider a couple of days off with pay punishment anyway.

Maybe Bud Selig should give Roger Goodell a call and ask him for some advice on how to handle these types of things.

Previously at The Fanhouse:
Julio Mateo Allegedly Beat, Bit And Choked His Wife
Elijah Dukes Allegedly Threatens Wife And Kids

Yes, the headline pretty much explains it all. And not unlike Julio Mateo, here's a guy you've never heard of before -- a guy who's done nothing to distinguish himself on the field -- and now you know his name. Why? Because he allegedly beat his wife.

Callaspo, 24, was booked into Maricopa County's Fourth Avenue Jail on one count of assault, a Class 1 misdemeanor, and one count of criminal damage, a Class 6 felony, Detective Stacie Derge said. Diamondbacks President Derrick Hall said Callaspo will not join the team in Houston, where it begins a nine-game road trip tonight.

Derge said officers responded Thursday afternoon to a call to Callaspo's residence at the Legacy Golf Resort, near the intersection of 32nd Street and Baseline Road. Callaspo's wife, Marianny Paola, 22, had minor injuries, Derge said.

So five minutes ago you had never heard of Alberto Callaspo. Now when people make reference to the name, it's 'Oh, he's one of those wife beaters, huh?' Well, there's been no trial or conviction yet, but it's the type of mess you just never want to get in. And between Brett Myers, Julio Lugo, Julio Mateo, and now Callaspo, what is it with players and incidents with wives? Look, I'm not saying that Callaspo did anything, but in general, that's about the most cowardly thing anyone can do. You just don't hit a woman. Period. And good move by the Diamondbacks not letting Callaspo travel with the team while he's facing the allegations. You have to wonder if they would act so hastily if it were more of a distinguished player, but it's still nice to see they're showing no tolerance for such alleged behavior.

UPDATE: Reports say Callaspo had a history of domestic violence prior to the incident

Previously at FanHouse:
Julio Mateo Allegedly Beat, Bit, and Choked His Wife

Mariners reliever Julio Mateo was arraigned on third-degree assault charges last weekend after allegedly beating his wife in a New York hotel room last week. Actually, no, that's not right. He was arrested after beating, biting and choking his wife. She suffered a black eye and needed five stitches on her lip as a result of the bite.

Sadly, it appears last weekend's incident wasn't the only recent one on record. Seattle police were called to Mateo's home on the morning of April 28. From the Seattle Times:

Police were called to Mateo's Dexter Avenue North apartment on the morning of April 28 after a dispatcher reported hearing a heated argument and two hang-up calls to 911. When two officers arrived, they found Mateo's wife, Aurea Mateo, and her sister crying in the hallway near two broken phones. Police said Mateo's wife put her hand on her neck and stuck out her tongue, as if she was being choked.

Unfortunately, that's where Aurea Mateo's communication with the police stopped.

Mateo's wife and sister-in-law do not speak English and declined to talk with responding officers about the broken phones. Neither would admit to being hurt or needing medical assistance, according to the police report.

Why wasn't Mateo arrested then? Because the suspect -- and to be fair it's worth noting that Seattle police refuse to confirm whether they consider Mateo to be the guy -- had already fled the scene. That's actually how things went down in New York, as well, as Mateo wasn't at the hotel when police responded but eventually turned himself in. Meanwhile, the Mariners have suspended Mateo 10 games, ostensibly for "missing a game without permission," though I'm guessing that's just a workaround for punishing him now instead of waiting for a conviction.