Alex Rodriguez's tumultuous season has hit another speed bump, this time in the form of a looming suspension.
A-Rod has been working hard to recuperate from hip surgery and seems close, but that return may be put on hold by Major League Baseball. According to reports MLB is ready to hand down suspensions to A-Rod, Ryan Braun and 20 other players in connection with steroid use and the Biogenesis lab.
Further, Rodriguez and Braun could be staring down the barrel of 100-game suspensions, as MLB will try to prove that both lied about past performance enhancing drug use. These suspensions are expected to be doled out shortly after the All-Star break.
Other players expected to earn 50-game bans are Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Bartolo Colon, Jesus Montero, Jhonny Peralta, and Everth Cabrera. With the exception of Montero, who is languishing in the Seattle minor league system these days, all of those players are important pieces on playoff contending teams.
While MLB is likely to try and suspend these players, Braun set a precedent last year for battling the league. He was issued a 50-game suspension last season but successfully appealed the decision, claiming his samples were mishandled and his positive test invalid.
MLB officials desperate to clean up the game's image were enraged by their biggest catch to date wriggling off the proverbial fishing hook, and re-doubled their efforts to nab him and Rodriguez, who has even admitted past use publicly when he played for the Texas Rangers.
In a meeting with MLB to discuss PED use as well as connections with Tony Bosch and the Biogenesis lab, Braun was reportedly uncooperative and refused to answer questions. A-Rod has a meeting scheduled as well but is believed to be following Braun's game plan.
When asked about his upcoming sit-down, Rodriguez was coy. "Not that I know of, and if I knew, I couldn't share with you guys," Rodriguez said. "We've been fully instructed to not comment on that case."
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