Alex Rodriguez could very well be the most hated player in baseball. And now that he’s implicated in another steroid/PED scandal, I really don’t think there is any coming back from the wrath he’ll receive from the fans. Innocent until proven guilty right?
What do we know right now?
First, he could miss either half of the season due to hip surgery or almost the entire year.
Second, he is still under contract with the New York Yankees for another five-years and $114 million, this according to ESPN.
If that’s not bad enough, now he is implicated in a PED scandal with names like pitcher Gio Gonzalez, outfielder Melky Cabrera, pitcher Bartolo Colon and catcher Yasmani Grandal.
MLB.com is reporting that he could even face suspension with a positive test.
Bryan Hoch of MLB.com wrote;
“Outfielders Jay Gibbons and Jose Guillen were suspended in 2007 for "non-analytical positives" when it was learned that they purchased human growth hormone and steroids. Astros outfielder Jordan Schafer, then a Minor Leaguer, was similarly disciplined the following year.”
I can’t see the Yankees trying to void his contract. I’m no lawyer but I can see way way too many problems occurring if that was attempted.
Right now it’s all “implications” and “potential links”. Nothing has been proven, but the evidence is pretty damning.
If in fact Rodriguez has been lying this whole time and it’s proven that he has been taking performance enhancers, I can see a 50-game suspension at least. He will play again, and even by some miracle the Yankees find a way out of this contract, some team will pick him up for another couple years.
Combine the possible suspension with a hip surgery and you could have a healthy All-Star calibre player on your team for the beginning of the 2014 season or for the playoffs. Either way, his career is not done, yet.
His potential Hall of Fame candidacy, on the other hand, has taken a major hit. With the way the Hall voters punished potential users during the recent Hall vote, Rodriguez is likely going by way of Rafael Palmeiro, not Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens.
One admission of guilt is bad enough, but a second? It’s sad, but we could be witnessing the end run of the greatest players we have ever seen. And in light of what’s being reported (I can only hope it’s not true for the sake of the game), a forever tarnished reputation.
Devon is the Founder and Executive Director of The GM's Perspective. He is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals & Gateway Grizzlies. Currently, Devon is a Manager at a financial institution in Northern Ontario Canada, and can be reached at devon@thegmsperspective.com. You can follow The GM's Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.
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