Report: MLB Players, Except A-Rod, Ready To Accept Suspensions
NEW YORK (CBSMiami) – On the heels of a report that Major League Baseball has informed the players union of suspensions for the Biogenesis scandal, as many as a dozen players are expected to agree to suspensions for their actions, according to Yahoo! Sports.
The only player who is expected to fight any suspension or potential lifetime ban is New York Yankees third baseman, and Miami native, Alex Rodriguez. Sources told Yahoo! Sports that MLB has "overwhelming" evidence against A-Rod from Biogenesis.
Rodriguez has been trying to come back to the Yankees in recent weeks after undergoing offseason hip surgery. A-Rod also had to deal with a strained quadriceps muscle that delayed a potential return to the lineup by at least two weeks.
But the Yankees don't want Rodriguez, or the circus that will come with him, back in the team's clubhouse. If MLB Commissioner Bud Selig suspends A-Rod before he's cleared to come back, the Yankees can essentially wash their hands of the matter for now.
The length of the suspension will determine how much money A-Rod and the other players stand to lose. The players will not be paid during a suspension and if A-Rod receives a lifetime ban for his role in the PED scandals, he could be out upwards of $90 million.
If A-Rod is only suspended for the rest of this season and next season, he stands to lose a little more than $30 million.
The problem for A-Rod will be finding an arbitrator to believe him in a fight against the suspension if all of the other players have accepted suspensions for their role. Former Biogenesis owner Tony Bosch would arguably have more credibility than A-Rod if it got to that point.
The first player suspended for their role in the Biogenesis/PED scandal was Milawukee Brewers slugger, and former University of Miami Hurricane, Ryan Braun.
