NEWSLETTER
Tick tock, tick tock.
No, that’s not just the sound of the BN Blogathon clock incessantly reminding me that the tough overnight hours will soon be arriving. It’s the sound of the Biogenesis clock.
According to Jeff Passan, the Biogenesis suspensions are coming within the next 72 hours, and the vast majority will come in the form of an agreed plea deal (like the one Ryan Braun took). Although 72 hours spans past the Trade Deadline tomorrow, if players are agreeing to suspensions, there may be an opportunity for their teams to be alerted before that deadline passes. Indeed, if this is now a cooperative process, maybe those teams have already been informed.
The implications here, as we’ve discussed, are enormous. If the Rangers lose Nelson Cruz for the rest of the year, their need for an outfield bat explodes. If the Tigers lose Jhonny Peralta, perhaps they become desperate for an infielder. If the A’s lose Bartolo Colon, maybe the dip back into the market for a starter.
On that last one, there’s an interesting twist: a few days ago, I noticed reports that the A’s – who’d been hot on Matt Garza and Jake Peavy, if you’ll recall – were backing out of the trade market for a pitcher. Had they perhaps received word that Colon’s Biogenesis connection was related to his earlier PED suspension, and that he would not be suspended again? Passan’s source tells him Colon is not being suspended, so that could be the case. And if that is the case, it’s fair to wonder if other teams have similarly been tipped off to the status of their players. Do all teams know? Do they have suspicions?
It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over the next 18 hours or so. It could be that the teams with implicated players – some of which have not been publicly identified yet – know where they’re going to be hit, but possible trading partners don’t know. If so, you can bet that those teams with soon-to-be-suspended players will fight tooth and nail to keep the suspension news under wraps until after the Trade Deadline, for fear that they will appear desperate (especially if an implicated player has not yet been publicly identified).
I love last minute intrigue.
