SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Authorities in the Dominican Republic are opening an investigation into allegations Minnesota Twins slugger Miguel Sano participated in the kidnapping and assault of a man, prosecutors said Thursday. The Twins, however, said they were told Sano was cleared of the accusations.
Sano, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract with Minnesota in January, denies the allegations and has said he is being blackmailed.
The player appeared Thursday at a hearing in the prosecutor's office in his hometown of San Pedro de Macoris. The hearing was called so the sides could present their versions of events and seek a conciliation, but none was reached.
Faced with a failure to reconcile, the Dominican justice system will open an investigation into the case, according to the prosecutor's office. No charges have been filed against Sano.
"My lawyers take care of that. I don't know. They are what the ones who know, I don't know about this," Sano told The Associated Press when asked about what awaits him in the case.
The Twins' executive vice president for baseball operations, Derek Falvey, said the organization was informed Thursday morning that Sano was cleared of the accusations by Dominican authorities and would not face any criminal charges.
Fred Guerrero, the team's international scouting director, who has known Sano since he was a youth, was the organization's primary point of contact for the Twins with Sano. The 27-year-old first baseman, an All-Star in 2017, was adamant he'd done no wrong.
"We took what Miguel said at his word and then wanted to wait and see what else transpired, and ultimately today it matched what he had been telling us, what we expected to happen here," Falvey said.
It was not immediately possible to explain the apparent discrepancy.
Lawyers for Raudy Omar Sanchez de la Cruz say they have evidence and testimony that Sano and three of his friends kidnapped, beat and threatened to hang Sanchez de la Cruz. They say the man suffered mental and physical damages amounting to $170,000.
Sano has alleged that Sanchez de la Cruz is involved in a case of sexual abuse of a young relative of his. There have been no charges filed regarding this allegation.
The Twins are expecting Sano to travel to Minnesota by the end of the week to join the team for training in advance of the season, which is expected to start in late July amid the coronavirus pandemic.