Major League Baseball is reportedly preparing to take an unprecedented stand against performance-enhancing drugs.
According to ESPN's John Buccigross, the network's Outside the Lines program has learned MLB is preparing to suspend Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun and others involved with the Biogenesis scandal:
ESPN's T.J. Quinn noted that "about 20 players" will be receiving suspensions and Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch is cooperating with MLB on the case:
In addition to Rodriguez and Braun, ESPN’s T.J. Quinn, Pedro Gomez and Mike Fish mentioned several other current major leaguers that could end up with a suspension. The list includes Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera and Jesus Montero, among others previously implicated in the scandal.
Nationals pitcher Gio Gonzalez, who was initially implicated in the scandal, is not expected to receive a suspension. According to Quinn, sources have indicated he only received legal substances from Biogenesis.
There were no specifics given in terms of when MLB is planning on making an announcement, though the report noted it could be as soon as two weeks.
MLB's collective bargaining agreement calls for a 50-game suspension for first-time violators of the performance-enhancing-drug policy when a positive test is recorded. There are, however, other provisions within the collective bargaining agreement that allow for MLB to enforce lesser suspensions for players convicted without a positive test.
According to Andy Dolich of CSN Bay Area, those suspensions—for "conviction for use of prohibited substances"—range anywhere from 15-to-30 games for first-time offenders and come with a $10,000 fine.
Though the story is still developing, the ESPN report notes that the commissioner’s office is going for the harshest-possible penalties. Sources close to the investigation have said that MLB will seek 100-game suspensions for Rodriguez, Braun and others who have been linked to performance-enhancing drugs in the past, as Quinn noted on Twitter:
MLB officials reportedly feel emboldened to go forward with the punishments, which would be among the most unprecedented in sports history, after striking a deal with Bosch to supply information. Bosch is expected to meet with baseball officials within the next week, when he will be asked to offer up the names of players to investigators and give sworn testimony against those implicated.
The controversy stems from a Miami New Times report in January that exposed Biogenesis' intricate performance-enhancing-drug web. Biogenesis, based out of Miami, had supplied multiple major-league sluggers and pitchers with steroids, human-growth hormone and testosterone.
The New Times report implicated Rodriguez, Braun and others as clients of Biogenesis, and MLB launched an investigation in the aftermath. In meeting with people associated with the now-defunct clinic, MLB received documentation on how the company was run.
Braun’s name is on two documents, both of which list him as a client owing money. One indicates he owes $20,000-to-$30,000 and another represented a pending payment of $1,500 for performance-enhancing drugs, according to what sources told ESPN.
MLB also sued Bosch in March, accusing Biogenesis of working to breach player contracts. The league was seeking unspecified damages and the rights to documents to help in the investigation. As part of MLB's settlement with Bosch, it has agreed to drop its suit against the Biogenesis founder.
All players who receive suspensions are allowed to appeal the ruling. There is no word from Rodriguez, Braun or the MLBPA at this time regarding ESPN's report.
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