A-Rod Suspension: Alex Rodriguez May Have Played His Last MLB Game
The MLB is expected to announce A-Rod’s suspension on Monday.
According to league sources, Alex Rodriguez will either be given a lifetime ban or a 200 game suspension. Either way, it looks like A-Rod has played his last game in the MLB.
One source said: “He’ll either be suspended for 200 games or forever… They want to get deals with everybody else first.”
The MLB is expected to suspend about a dozen players on Monday for acquiring performance enhancing drugs from the Biogenesis clinic. Most of the other players are expected to get 50 game suspensions.
A-Rod is expected to fight the league’s decision.
ESPN reports that A-Rod and commissioner Bud Selig were talking this weekend about the MLB star’s pending suspension but Selig is reportedly tired of negotiating. The MLB Player’s Association wanted to arrange a meeting between the MLB, Rodriguez, the Yankees and the MLBPA but Selig refused.
One source said that the MLB offered to drop the possibility of a lifetime ban if Rodriguez would allow an arbitrator to hand out a suspension of more than 50 games. Rodriguez turned down the offer, saying that the Joint Drug Agreement states that PED users can only be suspended 50 games. The Yankees star also noted that he had never failed a drug test.
Rodriguez will appeal the league’s decision, whether it’s a lifetime ban or a 200+ game suspension, but he still won’t see a baseball field for a very long time. The MLB is expected to tell Rodriguez that he can not play during the appeals process.
Rodriguez is currently dealing with an injury and at 38-years-old his career is quickly coming to a close. A-Rod’s suspension will likely end his career but that isn’t the only thing at stake. There is, you know, all of that money to talk about too. The Yankees still owe Rodriguez about $100 million on his $275 million contract.
…baseball plans to suspend A-Rod for at least this season and next. He has told friends he will appeal and “fight to the end.”
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 3, 2013
Was told MLB feels A-Rod has had chance to talk few times, taken 5th, not in mood now to negotiate at 11th hour
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) August 3, 2013
