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New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez will reportedly be suspended today for being linked with a clinic accused of distributing banned performance-enhancing drugs. The decision from the Major League Baseball is expected to come at noon EDT today.
A source with the MLB said that Rodriguez should be able to play during his appeal’s process if he chooses to do so, though at the moment he is unlikely to do so. Appealing could mean what the MLB investigation found could be made public and further damage Rodriguez’s career.
It is not clear how long the suspension is for, though it is currently thought that the suspension will last at least through the 2014 season.
Though Rodriguez is the most famous player to be linked to the Biogenesis of America anti-aging clinic, 14 players in total are facing disciplinary actions.
Rodriguez is expected to receive the harshest penalty today due to his interference with the MLB’s investigation. He was also suspected of trying to recruit more players to use the clinic.
There is evidence that Rodriguez was using steroids since 2009. The outcry against using performance-enhancing drugs comes from the case that it tarnishes the player’s ERA (earned run average), as players using drugs inexplicably throw off accurate batting statistics. This then affects other players’ performance and eventually salary.
He could face a shorter penalty though if he agrees to give up his right to file a grievance. This would push the issue in front of arbitrator Fredric Horowitz. If Rodriguez looses in arbitration he could face a lifetime ban from the sport.
If he appeals, his case could not be heard until next summer and further complicate his ability to play in the future.
Rodriguez has not been shy at thinking the MLB and the Yankees have been trying and conspiring to keep him from getting back to the big leagues.
If Rodriguez accepts the penalty, he could be facing a 214-game suspension and a loss of $34.5 million in salary for that time. Rodriguez signed a 10-year $275 million deal in 2007 with the Yankees. Rodriguez is still owed $8,568,306 of his $28 million salary from Monday through the end of the 2013 season. He was expected to receive $86 million for the final four years of his Yankees’.
Today the Yankees play the Chicago White Sox and would be Rodriguez’s first came since his January hip surgery.
The league has given players until Sunday to decide if they will accept their penalty or appeal them. Many of the players are expected to agree to their fines and penalties in order to start serving them immediately though.
All-Stars Jhonny Peralta of the Detroit Tigers and Nelson Cruz of the Texas Rangers are expected to receive 50-game suspensions because of their link to the clinic. Even Everth Cabrera of the San Diego Padres could receive the same sentencing. Anywhere from six to 10 suspensions are expected today.
Lawyers for the affected palyers have been trying to reach agreements with the league to minimize and avoid grievances.
Because of all this, stiffer penalties are expected to come to violators in 2014.
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