Julio Urías arrest offers unsettling reminder of Dodgers' poor personnel decisions

The Los Angeles Dodgers received the worst kind of news on Labor Day when it was reported star pitcher Julio Urías was arrested Sunday on suspicion of felony domestic violence. The team has acknowledged the situation and allegations, announcing that he will not be traveling with the team with an east coast road trip on the horizon.

Urías was released on $50,000 bail and has a court date set for Sept. 27, meaning this could very well endanger the remainder of his season and soon-to-be free agency.

Unfortunately, this is not Urías' first run in with a domestic violence incident. Back in 2019 he was arrested on suspicion of a misdemeanor domestic battery after witnesses reported he had pushed a woman to the ground in a parking lot.

This time around, the alleged incident is believed to have occurred in a similar public setting -- at the LAFC-Inter Miami game, an especially high-profile event with Lionel Messi in town and a considerable amount of celebrity fans in attendance at BMO Stadium.

Depending on how the investigation shakes out, Urías could become the first player ever to be suspended twice under MLB's domestic violence policy.

Julio Urías arrest offers unsettling reminder of Dodgers' poor personnel decisions

Another disturbing wrinkle here is how many Dodgers and former Dodgers have had concerning allegations levied against them over the years. It dates back to 2015 when Alex Verdugo, a then-top prospect in the organization, was believed to be involved in a murky assault incident but was later cleared of any wrongdoing.

Then, in 2017, Yasiel Puig was permitted to play throughout the team's run to the World Seriesafter reaching two "secret" sexual assault settlements in court, which the public later learned about in 2021.

Then came Urías' incident/suspension in 2019 followed by the Trevor Bauer signing and quick fallout/exile from MLB in 2021 (the same year everybody learned of the Puig allegations). In case you haven't noticed a trend, these situations got louder and louder, ranging from loose involvement to the longest non-lifetime ban in MLB history.

Now comes Urías in 2023. Though he didn't face any charges from the 2019 incident, the "felony" being attached to this one, in addition to the swift action the Dodgers have already taken, suggest a more harsh outcome is on the horizon.

But the Dodgers can't seem to get out of their own way. They were given ample warning signs with Puig, Bauer and Urías, but took plunges anyway on the three talents despite serious character blemishes. They either believed they could get away with something or trusted each player to grow beyond their transgressions for the better.

This should be an inflection point (even though it feels tremendously late) because this has become a far too common occurrence within the organization. Though no organization can afford this kind of PR, but it's even worse when it's a perennial contender that very much represents Major League Baseball in more ways than one.