Just hours before a scheduled regular season game, 27-year-old Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his Dallas hotel room. His sudden passing shook the baseball world and beyond. While all the headlines touted the official cause of death as a drug overuse, beneath the surface lies a tangled web of questions about how he accessed the drugs and who is accountable.

If you’ve been following the case, you’d know that Skaggs’ agent, Ryan Hamill, was closely cooperating in the investigation and also informed Skaggs’ family about the tragic news. Hamill confirmed Skaggs’ drug use as far as 2013, admitting that Skaggs was using Percocet. Notably, Hamill allegedly stated that Skaggs obtained these drugs through Wade Miley, a former Houston Astros pitcher. At the time, Skaggs and Miley were teammates with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

In his defense, the Cincinnati Reds pitcher publicly addressed the allegations against him. “I was never a witness for any of this. I’ve never been accused of any wrongdoing,” said Miley on whether he supplied the drugs to Skaggs. The veteran has been placed at the core of the deposition in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Skaggs’ family.

Later, he refused to answer further questions about the case or whether MLB had contacted him. Adding to your belief, during Friday’s media session in Detroit, Miley asserted, “I’m not going to sit here and talk about things that somebody might have said about me or whatnot,” when asked about his name being resurfaced in new court filings. Hamill was certain about Miley’s involvement in the drug supply. However, Miley not-so-subtly distanced himself from all the accusations.

It’s important to note that Skaggs’ case isn’t the first drug case involving Miley’s name. Before this one, his name surfaced in relation to proceedings against Eric Kay, the Angels’ former communications director. Through a recorded prison phone call, it was revealed via Kay’s conversation with his mother that he told her that Miley had been a source for drugs. Well, in Kay’s case, he was eventually sentenced to 22 years behind bars for supplying fentanyl-laced pills to Skaggs.

As of now, Miley stands clear with his stance and is not facing any formal charges. Meanwhile, the Angels are pushing to dismiss this case. Right now, as complex as this situation is, it’s just as sensitive.

Angels seek case dismissal as they blame Tyler Skaggs’ addiction as the sole issue

According to sources, the Angels reportedly filed a motion for judgment on May 30. They argued that Skaggs, despite knowing the consequences, consumed the illegal drugs on his own. They claimed the late pitcher got his hands on the drugs through unsecured sources. However, Wade Miley has now been allegedly involved in the case.

Todd Theodora, the legal counsel for the Angels, emphasized that Skaggs was evidently struggling with his drug addiction for almost a decade. Overall, the Angels have been silent on Skaggs’ case, refusing to make any official statement. Moreover, their internal force, be it current or former employees, has refused to comment.

While they refused to comment, it can’t be ignored that several Angels’ players like including Cam Bedrosian, C.J. Cron, Matt Harvey, and Mike Morin, testified during Kay’s trial. They revealed that they received drugs from Kay, and it was Skaggs who was the middleman. It reminds us of the instance from 2017 when Skaggs left a text for Mike Morin. The text read, “Talked to EK, can I buy one from you since you cleaned the guy out?” As a matter of fact, Matt Harvey was also involved after he admitted in court that he supplied drugs to Skaggs. Consequently, he was suspended for 60 days by MLB for violating the league’s drug policy. Since then, he has not been seen on the diamond.