MLB seeks to suspend A-Rod, Braun

[Mr Tibbs]

ESPN Link

 

Major League Baseball will seek to suspend about 20 players connected to the Miami-area clinic at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, possibly within the next few weeks, "Outside the Lines" has learned. If the suspensions are upheld, the performance-enhancing drug scandal would be the largest in American sports history.

 

Tony Bosch, founder of the now-shuttered Biogenesis of America, reached an agreement this week to cooperate with MLB's investigation, two sources told "Outside the Lines," giving MLB the ammunition officials believe they need to suspend the players.

 

 

If this story is correct I can't imagine these will be the only names. So far nobody currently on the Sox has been named.

[jacksonianmarch]

We're talking about it in the game thread

[Standing Room]

Here's what the current CBA has to say about cause for suspensions.

 

"A player who tests positive for a Performance Enhancing Substance, or otherwise violates the Program through the use or possession of a Performance Enhancing Substance, will be subject to the discipline set forth below.

 

1. First violation: 50-game suspension;

 

2. Second violation: 100-game suspension; and

 

3. Third violation: Permanent suspension from Major League and Minor League baseball..."

 

Page 22 - http://mlb.mlb.com/pa/pdf/jda.pdf

[VA Sox Fan]

We're talking about it in the game thread

 

 

But it's pretty HUGE news and deserves it's own thread. You know.....NO ONE likes A-rod.

[Standing Room]

But it's pretty HUGE news and deserves it's own thread. You know.....NO ONE likes A-rod.

 

Don't forget Cervelli! Is this in the Yankees forum? This should really be in the Yankees forum.

[Thunder]

But it's pretty HUGE news and deserves it's own thread. You know.....NO ONE likes A-rod.

 

Except his mother...

Well.... Nevermind.

[Northern Star]

Would LOVE this to happen to A-Rod and Ryan "I got away with juicing" Braun. Probably won't though.

 

Also, I saw an article yesterday where the Yankees are being so casual about the fact A-Rod won't live up to the contract and probably never could. THAT'S YOUR STUPID FAULT FOR GIVING IT TO HIM, YOU IDIOTS.

[Thunder]

At this point, A-Rod should retire. He thought about it after the hip surgery, so if he gets suspended, that should be the tipping point. Besides the Yankees still have that money to pay him.

[Behindenemylines]

Except his mother...

Well.... Nevermind.

 

I heard she doesn't.

[Northern Star]

At this point, A-Rod should retire. He thought about it after the hip surgery, so if he gets suspended, that should be the tipping point. Besides the Yankees still have that money to pay him.

 

If he retires, the Yankees don't have to pay the rest of his contract. If I was him I'd stay active, especially if it means sitting on my ass for a few years and getting paid millions for it.

[Divinity]

At this point, A-Rod should retire. He thought about it after the hip surgery, so if he gets suspended, that should be the tipping point. Besides the Yankees still have that money to pay him.

 

Uh he'd be throwing away $100,000,000 by retiring, you crazy?

[BigPapiEnFuego]

I find it interesting that on the list a high percentage of the players named are Yankees or were Yankees at one time...

[Standing Room]

Uh he'd be throwing away $100,000,000 by retiring, you crazy?

 

And if there was one thing A-Rod loved more than himself, it would be money.

[YAZMAN]

Uh he'd be throwing away $100,000,000 by retiring, you crazy?

 

There may a clause in his contract that allows his release for something like PEDs. My guess is if he contemplated retiring that he'd try to negotiate some sort of buyout.

[Standing Room]

Baseball can suspend Rodriguez or any of the other players without a positive test. In what is known as a non-analytic positive, the league will need documentary evidence -- a sworn affidavit from Bosch or a prescription from a doctor for a banned substance -- that would convince an independent arbitrator.

 

http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/8894904/new-york-yankees-attempting-void-alex-rodriguez-contract-according-sources

[Palodios]

Nelson Cruz of the Rangers, Colon of the Athletics, Cano, A-rod and Cervelli of the Yanks. Cabrera of the Jays. Peralta of the Tigers.

 

If all these guys get suspended, it impacts all those teams and clears an open path for the Red Sox to the playoffs.

[Standing Room]

Told there are "other major, major names" involved in the Biogensis scandal besides A-Rod and Braun.

 

 

Any of Cano, Ortiz, Cabrera or Trout wouldn't surprise me.

[Thunder]

Nelson Cruz of the Rangers, Colon of the Athletics, Cano, A-rod and Cervelli of the Yanks. Cabrera of the Jays. Peralta of the Tigers.

 

If all these guys get suspended, it impacts all those teams and clears an open path for the Red Sox to the playoffs.

 

Colon and Cabrera were suspended last year, but for a testosterone injection. A-Rod should get suspended for a year because of past suspicions. Cruz doesn't surprise me. Cervelli's hurt.

[a700hitter]

If MLB imposes 50 or 100 game suspensions for 20 or so players during the season, I'd have to question the wisdom of such a move. I don't think it would signal anything to the fans. Those of us who have been paying attention realize that the baseball establishment willingly let PEDs infect the game when it was good business to have HR records set and shattered. Now, they are trying to prove a point 20 years after PEDs started to ruin the integrity of the games records. IMO, this is too little too late. This move could turn pennant races and playoff hopes upside down which could be very disheartening to the fans. Sure we will be happy if 3 or 4 Yankee stars get taken out, but we will not be so happy if they only get ARod from the Yanks and Ortiz is also on the list. That would completely stink.

 

Penalties like this should be imposed after the season ends. The fans of teams affected would have the opportunity to pass on buying tickets if their team is adversely affected. Right now, many millions of tickets have been purchased across baseball. Mid season suspensions would punish the fans in addition to the guilty players. MLB botched the PED issue from the beginning and like whores they used the dirty players to make big profits and rejuvenate the game after the '94 strike. They should fine and suspend themselves as aiders and abettors. Instead, they are making a major push to induct into the Hall of Fame the head whore, Bud Selig.

[VA Sox Fan]

Red Sox not notified of any player linked to Biogenesis scandal

 

Posted by Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff June 4, 2013 10:08 PM

 

 

Don't read anything into he fact that the Red Sox haven't been notified of any of their players being involved in the Biogenesis scandal in Miami which could cost about 20 players suspensions for performance-enhancing drug use according to a story on ESPN's "Outside The Lines."

 

That's because, until Major League Baseball has interviewed Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch and they have hard evidence to suspend the player, they are likely not contacting individual teams. To this point, one Major League Baseball official said he didn't think individual teams had been contacted.

 

Most of the names appear to be out. Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, Milwaukee outfielder Ryan Braun and Texas outfielder Nelson Cruz are among the big names on a list ESPN has received along with documents who were linked in purchasing PED's from the clinic.

 

But there are also some "coded names" which have not been revealed that Bosch has agreed to help MLB investigators with, according to OTL report.

 

MLB is expected to interview Bosch this week and they could be announcing suspensions as early as two weeks from now according to the report.

[jacksonianmarch]

If MLB imposes 50 or 100 game suspensions for 20 or so players during the season, I'd have to question the wisdom of such a move. I don't think it would signal anything to the fans. Those of us who have been paying attention realize that the baseball establishment willingly let PEDs infect the game when it was good business to have HR records set and shattered. Now, they are trying to prove a point 20 years after PEDs started to ruin the integrity of the games records. IMO, this is too little too late. This move could turn pennant races and playoff hopes upside down which could be very disheartening to the fans. Sure we will be happy if 3 or 4 Yankee stars get taken out, but we will not be so happy if they only get ARod from the Yanks and Ortiz is also on the list. That would completely stink.

 

Penalties like this should be imposed after the season ends. The fans of teams affected would have the opportunity to pass on buying tickets if their team is adversely affected. Right now, many millions of tickets have been purchased across baseball. Mid season suspensions would punish the fans in addition to the guilty players. MLB botched the PED issue from the beginning and like whores they used the dirty players to make big profits and rejuvenate the game after the '94 strike. They should fine and suspend themselves as aiders and abettors. Instead, they are making a major push to induct into the Hall of Fame the head whore, Bud Selig.

 

You know the one thing this whole PED scandal could lead to is ARod's retirement. He's been pushed by his body betraying him to a point where he is willing to bend the rules once again. If he gets suspended for it for 100 games and he has to contend with coming back to fans who hate him, it might be enough for him to hang it up. It also might be enough for the Yankees to finally jettison that contract.

[rjortiz]

He's not going to retire. $100 million is too much money to pass on.

[User Name]

I don't get why MLB thinks they're going to be able to suspend any of these players in the "next two weeks" as they say. This is a highly contentious issue that's going to have to be taken to an outside arbitrator. A sworn affidavit from a person with as little credibility as the biogenesis idiot is not going to do it. They're going to need to establish paper trails and will need to listen to witnesses from both parties for the case of every player. This is going to take a while.

[Standing Room]

If MLB imposes 50 or 100 game suspensions for 20 or so players during the season, I'd have to question the wisdom of such a move. I don't think it would signal anything to the fans. Those of us who have been paying attention realize that the baseball establishment willingly let PEDs infect the game when it was good business to have HR records set and shattered. Now, they are trying to prove a point 20 years after PEDs started to ruin the integrity of the games records. IMO, this is too little too late. This move could turn pennant races and playoff hopes upside down which could be very disheartening to the fans. Sure we will be happy if 3 or 4 Yankee stars get taken out, but we will not be so happy if they only get ARod from the Yanks and Ortiz is also on the list. That would completely stink.

 

Penalties like this should be imposed after the season ends. The fans of teams affected would have the opportunity to pass on buying tickets if their team is adversely affected. Right now, many millions of tickets have been purchased across baseball. Mid season suspensions would punish the fans in addition to the guilty players. MLB botched the PED issue from the beginning and like whores they used the dirty players to make big profits and rejuvenate the game after the '94 strike. They should fine and suspend themselves as aiders and abettors. Instead, they are making a major push to induct into the Hall of Fame the head whore, Bud Selig.

 

I disagree. This would be no different than if someone bought tickets and their favorite player got a season ending injury. MLB needs to send a strong message to the players. If they wait until the pennant race is over to suspend these players, it would send the message that players can use PED's to help get their team over the hump, go out and compete in the playoffs and then pay the price later. That would turn off just as many fans as well.

 

You know the one thing this whole PED scandal could lead to is ARod's retirement. He's been pushed by his body betraying him to a point where he is willing to bend the rules once again. If he gets suspended for it for 100 games and he has to contend with coming back to fans who hate him, it might be enough for him to hang it up. It also might be enough for the Yankees to finally jettison that contract.

 

Keep dreaming. If there's one thing A-Rod loves more than himself, it's money. Oh, and butch prostitutes. But mostly money.

 

I don't get why MLB thinks they're going to be able to suspend any of these players in the "next two weeks" as they say. This is a highly contentious issue that's going to have to be taken to an outside arbitrator. A sworn affidavit from a person with as little credibility as the biogenesis idiot is not going to do it. They're going to need to establish paper trails and will need to listen to witnesses from both parties for the case of every player. This is going to take a while.

 

MLB has written records and multiple witnesses. There are computer records, there are receipts, there are phone records and there are two former Bosch employees and a player agent involved in the investigation.

[User Name]

MLB has written records and multiple witnesses. There are computer records, there are receipts, there are phone records and there are two former Bosch employees and a player agent involved in the investigation.

 

I know they possess all of this evidence. The problem is that presenting it on an individual basis, and proving the accusations in front of outside arbitrators is not a two-day process. It's going to take time, and some of them are going to get away with it.

[Standing Room]

I know they possess all of this evidence. The problem is that presenting it on an individual basis, and proving the accusations in front of outside arbitrators is not a two-day process. It's going to take time, and some of them are going to get away with it.

 

They suspend the players first, and then it's up to the players to appeal their case.

[User Name]

They suspend the players first, and then it's up to the players to appeal their case.

 

That's another thing i doubt happens because of the ever-looming presence of the MLBPA. We will see.

[Standing Room]

ACES is the player agent firm that's involved in the investigation. They were also involved in the fake Melky Cabrera web site when he attempted to lie to avoid his suspension.

 

In the past month, Shane Victorino, Nyjer Morgan, Everth Cabrera and Jonny Gomes have all left the agency. Victorino reportedly informed the Levinsons of his impending departure long before Cabrera had even been suspended, however.

 

As MLBTR's Agency Database shows, ACES still represents big names like David Wright, Brandon Phillips, Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez, Heath Bell, Dustin Pedroia and many, many more.

[Standing Room]

That's another thing i doubt happens because of the ever-looming presence of the MLBPA. We will see.

 

The the way the suspension process worked with Braun and Cabrera. The players are suspended, and they then get to appeal. Then the case is heard in front of an arbitrator who decides if they will be reinstated or not.

 

It's not like MLB is going to build their case in the next two weeks, they've been building their case for months.

[User Name]

The the way the suspension process worked with Braun and Cabrera. The players are suspended, and they then get to appeal. Then the case is heard in front of an arbitrator who decides if they will be reinstated or not.

 

It's not like MLB is going to build their case in the next two weeks, they've been building their case for months.

 

Cabrera and Braun failed tests. This is an entirely different beast. Again, we will see.