Who Was Tyler Skaggs?
Tyler Skaggs was a left-handed starting pitcher who played for the Arizona Diamondbacks and, most notably, the Los Angeles Angels, where he became a regular in the rotation by the late 2010s.[2][4] A former first-round draft pick, he was viewed as having significant upside and potential long-term earnings before his career and life were cut short at age 27.[2]
On July 1, 2019, Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Texas ahead of an Angels–Rangers series, with an autopsy later ruling that he died from asphyxia after aspirating his vomit, with alcohol, fentanyl, and oxycodone present in his system.[2] Investigators determined that he had used a fentanyl-laced pill provided by Angels communications director Eric Kay, an event that set off criminal and civil proceedings and placed the organization under intense scrutiny.[2][4]
The Wrongful-Death Lawsuit and Trial
In 2021, Skaggs’ widow and his parents filed wrongful-death lawsuits in California and Texas, alleging that the Angels knew or should have known Kay was providing opioids to players and that the team failed to protect Skaggs from a dangerous workplace environment.[1][2] The complaints cited Kay’s history of drug use and rehabilitation while employed by the club, arguing that the organization breached its duty of care by allowing him access to players and not stopping his alleged distribution of pills.[1]
The Angels strongly denied the accusations, relying in part on an internal investigation that concluded no executives were aware of employees supplying opioids to players and describing the lawsuits as baseless.[1][2] During the civil trial in Southern California, which lasted around two months, jurors heard testimony about Skaggs’ own opioid use, the role of Kay as both user and supplier, and competing expert estimates of what Skaggs might have earned had he lived, ranging from roughly $32 million to more than $90 million.[2][4]
Settlement and Lasting Impact
After weeks of testimony, closing arguments, and days of jury deliberations, the Angels and the Skaggs family reached a settlement, ending the wrongful-death trial before a verdict was announced.[3][4] The agreement, whose financial terms have not been made public, avoids a definitive legal ruling on whether the team was liable but represents a negotiated resolution to years of contentious litigation.[3][4]
The settlement carries implications beyond this single case, reinforcing to professional sports organizations the legal and ethical risks of inadequate oversight in areas such as prescription drug management and employee conduct.[2][4] For Major League Baseball and other leagues, the Skaggs tragedy has intensified calls for stronger education around opioids, more robust mental health and addiction support for players, and stricter controls on who can access and distribute medications within clubhouses.[2][4]