MLB Looking To Suspend Numerous Players, Including Alex Rodriguez & Ryan Braun

Alex Rodriguez

ESPN is reporting that Major League Baseball is seeking to suspend about 20 players, including Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun, two former Most Valuable Player Award winners, connected to a Miami-area clinic that has been at the heart of an ongoing performance-enhancing drug scandal.

ESPN investigative reporters T.J. Quinn, Pedro Gomez and Mike Fish say Tony Bosch, the former director of the Miami-based Biogenesis clinic, is “expected to begin meeting with officials — and naming names — within a week."

The suspensions could be issued within two weeks, though there’s likely to be an appeals process and that may take a few months.

Apparently, Major League Baseball will be seeking 100-game punishments for Braun and A-Rod because they both committed two offenses, the initial use of PED's, and then lying to MLB officials when they said they didn't.

The punishment for first-time performance-enhancing drug offenders is a 50-game suspension.

Rodriguez has admitted to using steroids during his time with the Texas Rangers, but he has not failed a drug test, so he has never been suspended for PED use.

Some of the other names that were found in the Biogenesis documents: Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, Yasmani Grandal, Nelson Cruz, Francisco Cervelli, Jesus Montero, Jhonny Peralta, Cesar Puello, Fernando Martinez, Everth Cabrera, Fautino de los Santos and Jordan Norberto.

Wasington Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez is not a candidate for suspension, because, according to reports, he only bought league-approved substances.

Hardballtalk.com has a rundown of the players named, and potential suspensions that they face.

Matthew Pouliot, of hardballtalk.com, says a mass suspension of the players, while letting Bosch off without punishment, is something he's not a proponent of.

The Biogenesis news broke in late January, when it was reported by multiple outlets that Major League Baseball was investigating Bosch.

In late January, the Miami New Times obtained and published a large portion of the  clinic’s records which contained the names of several MLB players.