Suspects arrested for robbing Valbuena, Castillo after fatal crash

Four people suspected of robbing former MLB players Luis Valbuena and Jose Castillo have been arrested, state governor Julio Leon Heredia tweeted Friday, as translated by Maria Torres of the Los Angeles Times.

Valbuena and Castillo were killed in a car crash early Friday morning in Venezuela and may have been the intended victims of a robbery, authorities said.

A car carrying Valbuena, Castillo, and ex-major leaguer Carlos Rivero struck a rock and veered off the road, according to a BeisbolPlay report relayed by Torres. Rivero and the car's driver survived the accident.

Venezuelan criminals have been known to throw rocks onto roadways to damage cars and cause crashes in order to rob the people in the vehicles, authorities noted.

The suspects who were arrested had Valbuena's and Castillo's personal belongings, Heredia said.

Valbuena and Castillo were playing for Cardenales de Lara. They decided not to travel with the team after Thursday's winter league game because they had appointments at the United States embassy, according to a club official.

Valbuena, 33, was released by the Los Angeles Angels in August. Castillo, 37, last appeared in MLB for the Houston Astros in 2008.

Over the last few years, several professional baseball players have died in car accidents, including Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura in 2017 and St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Oscar Taveras in 2014. More recently, Cincinnati Reds minor leaguer Jairo Capellan was killed in November. All three crashes occurred in the Dominican Republic.