The only real blemish on the baseball career of Mike Leake, the free-agent pitcher signed Tuesday by the Cardinals, is an arrest he had in early 2011 for shoplifting six shirts at a Cincinnati Macy’s.
In theory, Leake could have been sentenced to 180 days in jail but he eventually pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of unauthorized use of property and entered a court-sponsored diversion program. He was required to complete 30 hours of community service and counseling.
According to the arrest report, Leake removed the price tags from six shirts and tried to leave without paying for them.