Possible steroid suspensions (anonymous source)

[kab21]

It will be interesting to see if this a prediction or if there is some substance to this. I really don't care about steroids in baseball at this point but there could be some pretty big effects this season if these guys are out.

 

Source: Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, and Curtis Granderson To Be Suspended - Dog and Pony Show

 

Anonymous Source: Cano, Granderson, A-Rod and Braun will all be suspended for failing PED test this season.

 

He’s unable to disclose his sources, but Joe’s been right about this type of news before. A full month before the suspension became official last summer, Joe’s anonymous source correctly identified Melky Cabrera as the next big name to be slapped with the 50 game fine.

[gunnarthor]

Well, I'll admit I'd be very happy if that were to happen but kind of hard to believe if only DAPS is reporting it.

[DaveW]

I really hope this is true.

[minn55441]

People have always cheated. They don't always get caught.

 

I think everyone looks for a level playing field. too bad this isn't the second offense for Braun, if in fact he is found guilty this time.

[Twins Twerp]

I hope Thyrlos isn't the source

[fairweather]

The thought of the Yankee's without Cano for 50 games and all the money this will cost Cano for his career make me happy. The thought of the Yankee's organization having to own up to having a team full of cheaters....MAKES ME EVEN HAPPIER! LOL

[nicksaviking]

I think the players are starting to police themselves, that's going to be the biggest key to cleaning up the steriod issues. Michael Cuddyer says he wants to see a 100 game ban for 1st time offenders and Matt Holliday, Dustin Pedroia and Ryan Zimmerman have all spoken out for harsher penalties. All it will take is the clean players to push for provisions in the CBA for teams to be able to void contracts of cheaters or something of that sort.

 

However I don't know how true this is. Would the Yankees really be in discussion with Cano about a long term extension if he was going down? I guess if we start hearing that extension talks are breaking down, I'll buy into this story.

 

Edit: Though, Scott Boras generally likes his superstars to hit the market and see what kind of bidding war ensues. Perhaps he and Cano were trying to get a deal done before the Yankees caught wind of a suspension.

[notoriousgod71]

This would be hilarious, although I'm sure Bud would sweep it under the rug.

[nicksaviking]

This would be hilarious, although I'm sure Bud would sweep it under the rug.

 

Why? He's never covered up the million or so leaks abuot A-Rod buying PED's and no one was more upset than he was when Braun got away with his failed test due to an arbitor with extremely questionable decisioning skills.

[Ultima Ratio]

I don't understand the Op's attitude toward cheaters, but I for one find it just as bad as player betting. Clean it up and name names.

[John Bonnes]

Why? He's never covered up the million or so leaks abuot A-Rod buying PED's and no one was more upset than he was when Braun got away with his failed test due to an arbitor with extremely questionable decisioning skills.

 

This is a pretty fair point. I don't trust Selig, and I certainly don't trust his motives, but he has been pretty straight-forward on this stuff since overlooking it for the first decade of his tenure. (Personally, I think it's because he likes to embarrass the Player's Union, but still...)

[beckmt]

I think it would be great if this is true. A-Rod should be a second time as hasn't he already admitted them before they were banned(and if you believe he stopped I have some land to sell you). Point on Cano may be right on because it is not Boris who would at least want to see what the Dodgers offered before he sent him back to NY. Braun has been caught and beaten it on the techicallity. Granderson does not surprise me as where did all the power come from when he went to NY.

[B Richard]

I hate to see the game sullied by 'roids, but if a group of players -had- to get busted... I'd be hard pressed to name a better group. As if yankee stadium's anemic design wasn't enough help in hitting long balls.

 

As far as Selig, there's no way he would cover this up. He's been calling for harsher penalties for PED users. No one was angrier than he was after Braun got off easy. I really don't see him taking even the most fringe accusation lightly or covering anything up.

[johnnydakota]

I think it would be great if this is true. A-Rod should be a second time as hasn't he already admitted them before they were banned(and if you believe he stopped I have some land to sell you). Point on Cano may be right on because it is not Boris who would at least want to see what the Dodgers offered before he sent him back to NY. Braun has been caught and beaten it on the techicallity. Granderson does not surprise me as where did all the power come from when he went to NY.

 

I disagree on Aroid, i hope he is charged as a 1st timer and the yankees choke on his contract every single penny of it....

[luke829]

Anything concerning the Yankees and Scandel is music to my ears; couldn't happen to a "nicer" team

[kab21]

I don't understand the Op's attitude toward cheaters, but I for one find it just as bad as player betting. Clean it up and name names.

 

I certainly don't want steroids in baseball but I'm past the point where I'm going to get bent out of shape about it. 10 years when baseball had zero testing and pretty much anything went I was upset. 5 or so years ago when MLB had a weak drug policy I wasn't happy about. Now baseball has a pretty solid drug policy. It could be better but they are cleaning up the game.

 

One person guessed that these names are showing up because the MLB has started testing blood instead of only urine and it takes significantly longer for your blood to be steroid free. I have heard that you can get a clean urine sample 24 hours after using which makes a urine only test kind of weak.

[Seth Stohs]

Aside from Granderson, would this be surprising? Braun and A-Rod have been named before. There were rumors of Cano during the second half of last year. Granderson would be surprising.

[B Richard]

There were rumors of Cano during the second half of last year.

 

Cano and Melky were real close back when Cabrera was on the yanks, wouldn't surprise me if the melkman got cano to try a little bit of his product

[Thrylos]

I think that this whole PED situation has to be resolved somehow better than it is right now. And the whole witch hunt from the holier than thou HOF ballot holders (who are the same people who gave an MVP award to someone who tested positive and had no comment when a legend admitted to have taken PEDs but getting their tidy whities up in wads about even voting someone who might have seen someone else taking steroids -Bagwell- to the HOF.)

 

Yes there are better policies needed for the future and present; but there needs to be a consideration about the past esp. as far as HOF induction and milestones and awards are considered.

[beckmt]

Yankees may want this to beat Arod out of the rest of his contract. Morals issues, conduct detremental to baseball. They might try it. It also would help them retain Cano and keep his price down so they could avoid the luxury tax. Maybe the Yanks turned the suspections in.

[gunnarthor]

Why? He's never covered up the million or so leaks abuot A-Rod buying PED's and no one was more upset than he was when Braun got away with his failed test due to an arbitor with extremely questionable decisioning skills.

 

The argument against Bud is that he (or MLB) doesn't want to hurt his marquee franchises. They supposedly kept quite a report about Damon and Jeter both testing positive when they were with the Red Sox and Yankees. ARod was outed by a SI reporter, who also suggested that MLB was tipping some players about up coming tests. MLB didn't do anything to ARod. Manny was busted only after he left Boston. Other than Palmerio in the first year of testing, no big names were caught in five years of testing. And while a few big names have been caught in the last few years, they were caught years after public opinion against PED users was in full force. To this day the only Yankee or Red Sox ML player to fail an MLB drug test is Matt Lawton.

[Twins Twerp]

I boo Jeter. This anonymous source better be right because I am sooo excited to see the Yankees lose. They have an old lineup, no granderson for a few months, and an outrageously strong division. I think they might be dwellers this year.

 

P.s. I may change my name to "I boo Jeter." How classic would that name be.

[DaveW]

Granderson would be surprising.

 

19, 23, 22, 30, 24 (NYY) TO 41 and 43 HR at age 30 suddenly? I mean he hadn't been linked before...but the dude basically doubled his yearly HR output two years in a row.

[kirbyelway]

I hope Thyrlos isn't the source

 

Now that is funny LOL!

[darin617]

I hope Thyrlos isn't the source

 

Wow, that just made my night. I laughed pretty hard when I read that comment...Shame on me...

[darin617]

19, 23, 22, 30, 24 (NYY) TO 41 and 43 HR at age 30 suddenly? I mean he hadn't been linked before...but the dude basically doubled his yearly HR output two years in a row.

 

I will defend his numbers a little for him, look at the line up he has in NY and their approach is to let guys try to hit bombs. If he came to the Twins instead of the Yankees Gardy would have turned him into a doubles machine and he would have hit 14-17 HRs with the Twins...

[DaveW]

I will defend his numbers a little for him, look at the line up he has in NY and their approach is to let guys try to hit bombs. If he came to the Twins instead of the Yankees Gardy would have turned him into a doubles machine and he would have hit 14-17 HRs with the Twins...

 

But he had 24 in his first year on the Yankees.

 

2011 is when he truly "went off"

 

Oddly enough Melky had a career 86 OPS+ prior to 2011 then went off for 121 and 158 in 2011/2012

 

Cano there isn't really any big jump in 2011 FWIW, though last year was his best year overall.

[Ultima Ratio]

What will put an end to this is public hangings.

[spideyo]

I don't see Granderson as much of a surprise. Yes, guys fill out and develop more power as they get more into the game, but to go from being a 20+ HR guy to a 40+ hr guy at the age of 30? Quite suspicious, especially when it comes just a year after he joined a team with a number of players either rumored or confirmed to have taken PED's.

[J-Dog Dungan]

I don't see Granderson as much of a surprise. Yes, guys fill out and develop more power as they get more into the game, but to go from being a 20+ HR guy to a 40+ hr guy at the age of 30? Quite suspicious, especially when it comes just a year after he joined a team with a number of players either rumored or confirmed to have taken PED's.

I have always kinda wondered to myself about that. And if all those Yankees are suspended, they should be totally doomed for this upcoming season.