The Slanch Report

So, what path do you take if you are fired from your last job for suspected fraud and a series of irregularities? If you’re former major leaguer and then former Washington Nationals executive Jose Rijo, you turn to politics. Which, I suppose makes sense, if you’re already used to shaking down baseball prospects it’s a relatively easy step up to fleecing an entire city.

Formerly serving in the front-office of the Nationals, with responsibilities including over-seeing the team’s Dominican academy — out of which came a prospect with a forged identity and a series of questions regarding skimming of bonuses from player — Rijo was less than stellar and canned by the team in an attempt to avoid further (legal) problems.

Rijo is now running to become the mayor of his Dominican hometown, San Cristobal where he campaigns door-to door nearly every day. “Here [in the US], he’s been somewhat humiliated,” a source close to Rijo said, “but down there [in the Domincan] he’s still like the Godfather, larger than life.”

The competition to become mayor though will be tough as Rijo faces off against another former big leaguer, none other than Raul Mondesi!

God, I hope they hold dozens of debates and they are all televised. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE. And, in case you were wondering, for his career, Mondesi went 3-9 against Rijo with a double and 3 punchados.

[Washington Post]