Outside The Confines: Eric Kay found guilty in connection to death of Tyler Skaggs

This week we saw plenty of buzz about the trial of Eric Kay, the former Angels employee who was implicated in the overdose death of pitcher Tyler Skaggs back in 2019. After several days of testimony from other Angels players, Skaggs’ widow, and others connected to the case, a verdict was handed down on Friday.

After only an hour of deliberation, the jury returned with a guilty verdict, finding that Kay was responsible for providing the opioids that resulted in Skaggs’ death. The sentencing will take place at the end of June, but Kay will face a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison.

In a statement, the Skaggs family shared their relief, “Tyler was the light of our family. He is gone, and nothing can ever bring him back. We are relieved that justice was served, although today is a painful reminder of the worst day in the life of our family.”

Some additional reading on the trial:

• Dayn Perry breaks down the results of the trial.
• Nick Selbe reports on the trial, and also on the statements from the family.
• Matt Harvey has legal immunity, but that doesn’t mean he won’t face consequences and T.J. Quinn explains why he could be suspended by MLB.

There’s a somewhat connected story that will likely get lost in the news of the verdict. Pitcher Matt Harvey has been making headlines a fair bit this week, largely in part because of his testimony and participation in the Kay trial. A story emerged regarding Harvey’s time with the Mets, as part of an interview with former Mets manager Terry Collins.

Collins, completely out of line, shared private details of conversations he had with Matt Harvey in which Harvey disclosed suicidal ideation. Collins has rightly come under fire the past few days because MLB already has a checkered history with handling mental health issues. For a manager to disclose such personal information, shared in confidence, in a media interview is appalling.

Here is some additional reading on the Collins interview and its fallout:

• Here’s the original article from Mike Puma at the New York Post.
• Mark Powell has an editorial on Collins’ lapse in judgment.
• Nicole Cahill looks at why the Collins interview highlights why people suffer with mental health issues in silence.
• Michael McCann covers some of what came out during Matt Harvey’s testimony in the Kay trial.

And now onto the rest of the links:

• Jay Jaffe looks at the declining number of starters heading to Cooperstown.
• Tom Verducci looks at the ongoing negotiations and when both sides will need to come together if hope for the season starting on time can remain.
• Mark Feinsand also looks at the most recent negotiations.
• Jesse Rogers looks ahead to the next meeting between both sides.
• Jeff Passan misses baseball.

• Zach Buchanan and Dan Hayes highlight those fans whose dreams of seeing spring training games are on hold indefinitely. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Justin Choi has an unexpected stat featuring the Rockies.
• MLB dot com looks at some of the best draft picks out of college.
• Guess the owners DO have money to get things done...

• Speaking of Soto, Nick Selbe looks at some free agent destinations that might (eventually) fit for the superstar.
• George Castle spotlights the second female coach in the Red Sox org, Katie Krall.
• Ben Clemens did some baserunning math for... softball?
• A solid thread about the real-life experience of minor league players.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.