Surprise, Surprise…
The rest of the players involved in Biogenesis-gate are expected to take their suspensions of 50 games or more, without appeal. Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan, has reported that the suspensions will be handed out within 72 hours, with just Arod expected to make some noise.
Those among the unlucky bunch include notables like Nelson Cruz of the Rangers and Jhonny Peralta of the Tigers–plus some Major Leaguers whose names have not yet been made public.
MLB has prepared long and hard for Arod to come back swinging and that’s why they’ve threatened to suspend Arod through a clause in the collective bargaining agreement, rather than through the league’s joint drug agreement, per Yahoo:
By threatening to suspend Rodriguez under a best-interests-of-baseball clause in the collective-bargaining agreement rather than the agreed-upon discipline of the league’s joint drug agreement, commissioner Bud Selig amped up the game of chicken between MLB and Rodriguez. The fear inside baseball is that if Rodriguez appeals a suspension, he could be playing games within the next week while the rest of the players in the Biogenesis case, including the already-suspended Ryan Braun, are sidelined.
Selig is taking a risk by choosing to go this route, which may tick of the Player’s Association, whose support through this matter has been key to doling down suspensions. That also would lead one to believe that MLB is beyond fed up of Arod’s antics and will get a very stiff punishment coming his way.
As for the other players, they are also facing an additional double digit add-on to suspensions if they do not cooperate with the investigation–which is why Braun got in excess of 50 games.
Looks like, to the surprise of no one when it’s all said and done it will be Arod on one side of the ring and MLB on the going at it.