We’ve been hearing for a month now that the suspensions emanating from MLB’s investigation into a Miami clinic that allegedly distributed performance-enhancing drugs to 15 or more Major League players, including Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez (the Biogenesis scandal), would be coming any week now. In all of those reports, it seemed as though the Trade Deadline – or a couple days in advance of it – would be something of a drop dead date for the announcement, given that teams are going to want to know what they’re facing in August and September, in terms of their roster.
But we’re just two days away from the Deadline, and no announcements have come down. Sure, Ryan Braun got his “big” suspension, but that was only because he decided, in advance of any announcement, to take a plea deal.
When is the hammer of justice* going to come down from on high? Well, if a report from the New York Post is to be believed, it’ll be coming this week. Indeed, the Post reports, it’s possible that we’ll learn of more plea deals like Braun’s, where certain players decide to immediately accept a suspension and sit out the rest of the year so that they can start 2014 with a “clean” slate.
Otherwise, we might see one big, mass announcement for the implicated players, which could number anywhere from 10 to 20 or more. Names connected to the clinic in reports include Bartolo Colon, Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, and Jhonny Peralta, though no one has been formally outed, save for Braun. You can see the trade implications there immediately, as the A’s, Rangers, and Tigers fight for a playoff spot, and the Blue Jays decide whether to sell.
To my mind, announcements after the Trade Deadline would probably anger the affected teams, so I’ll tentatively expect we’ll see something today, tomorrow, or very early on Wednesday.
*You may choose to read that sincerely or sarcastically, depending on your predisposition on the PED issue.