The current MLB CBA expires on Dec. 1, and a "substantial debate among players" is expected concerning the current penalty structure for violations of the joint drug agreement, according to a source cited by Fox' Ken Rosenthal. It would not be a surprise "to see the penalties increased as a result of those negotiations." Marlins 2B Dee Gordon and Blue Jays 1B Chris Colabello recently were suspended 80 games for violating the PED policy, and Rosenthal noted several star players, including Tigers P Justin Verlander, Nationals P Max Scherzer and Cardinals LF Matt Holliday "went on the record with me and said they favored harsher suspensions for players who are found to have cheated intentionally." While numerous players are "quite bothered that Gordon is going to get almost his entire" $50M that he signed for last offseason, Rosenthal has a "hard time seeing" the possibility that contracts could be voided for a positive test. Rosenthal: "Such a concession would create powerful incentives for the clubs to tamper with under-performing players, for example, by slipping something into a player’s drink, forcing him to test positive. ... The union exists to protect players’ rights and to make sure that they can get due process” ("MLB on FS1 Pregame," FS1, 4/30). ESPN's Aaron Boone said, "You’ve heard players sounding off … saying, ‘Hey, we want to make this even tougher; make it even more of a deterrent than it already is.’” ESPN’s Buster Olney said, “They are driving this conversation because they don’t want to have to go back to where players were in the ‘90s, having to make that choice to use to keep up with other players, or not use and fall behind professionally, which is why there is such frustration in the aftermath of the Dee Gordon suspension. Players I talked with said, ‘Look, we have to find some way to reduce the incentive to cheat’” ("Yankees-Red Sox," ESPN, 5/1).
PLAYERS SPEAK OUT: ESPN's Katie Strang reported Verlander over the weekend against the Twins "called for tougher standards." He said, "We want a clean game. And us and the players association have pushed to where it is now. I think a lot of people will think the other way around. ... We've pushed the system to where it's at. And we still want it to be (better). I mean, we have the best testing system in the world right now. Is it good enough? No." He added, "If a guy has tested positive, they shouldn't be on the field affecting the outcome of baseball games, when there is so much at stake" (ESPN.com, 4/29). A's P and player rep Sean Doolittle said, "Guys are pissed. They want players to be more accountable for their actions. ... Whatever the punishment, 50 games before and 80 now, isn't enough for the players to roll the dice for a huge payday because they know if they come out of it, they can sign another multiyear, guaranteed contract." He added, "We thought we ratcheted (the drug policy) up enough, and apparently we haven't" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 5/1). Cubs P Jake Arrieta: "It's apparent that guys are still trying to take things. And I think it's unfortunate guys will continue to do so unless the penalty is maybe stiffer. I personally don't think guys should get multiple chances when they fail a steroid test" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 4/30). White Sox P Chris Sale: "We need to clean it up. We need to be better role models, have better character, be better people, rise above any temptation we might have" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 5/1). Nationals RF Bryce Harper: "It's just disappointment, something you don't want to see. Not good for the sport, not good for baseball. But (Gordon's) still one of the best players in the game and I've still got a lot of respect for him. But it's definitely something that's just tough" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 4/30).
TOUGH STANCE NEEDED IN CBA TALKS: In Richmond, Wes McElroy wrote the guaranteed money in MLB contracts "is too enticing" and is why "these stories go on, and why they will continue." Gordon "will surrender" just $1.6M of his $50M contract. McElroy: "Not a bad bill to pay when while grossing more than" $48M. This trend "won't change unless" MLB and the MLBPA "apply tougher penalties in their new" CBA this December (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 5/1). The Washington Post’s Kevin Blackistone said, “If you came up with some sort of rule that you would lose your contract if you got caught, then … you would probably run the probability of getting people not to cheat as much.” ESPN’s Michael Smith: “As long as they guarantee contracts, people are going to cheat.” Smith said it will not change “unless and until the players get together and agree that, ‘Hey, we will allow our contracts to be voided or reduced or compromised … if somebody flunks a drug test’” ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 4/29). In Hartford, Jeff Jacobs wrote maybe teams should "lose a roster spot for the time a player is suspended," or maybe the "punishment can be a two-strike process instead of three." Jacobs: "Maybe an additional percentage of a guilty player's contract could be negated" (HARTFORD COURANT, 5/1). FS1’s Eric Karros said of motivations for MLB players to cheat, “The only reason you wouldn’t do it is just your integrity and maybe you want to put your head down each night and sleep peacefully.” When asked for a possible deterrent, Karros said, “Maybe you just say, contract nullified, then that player still has to stay under control of that respective club, and now it is the minimum salary" ("MLB on FS1 Pregame," FS1, 4/30).
CRIME STILL PAYS: Pirates GM Neil Huntington said that from players' perspectives, cheating "still pays in baseball." Huntington: "The incentive is huge." Huntington added a multiyear extension "is a double-edged sword, a multiheaded monster." Huntington: "There's nothing a club can do to get out from underneath a contract that may have been signed under false pretenses. That's just the nature of the beast right now. I would anticipate the [MLBPA] will fight tooth and nail to make sure that continues" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 5/2). FS1’s C.J. Nitkowski said, “There is a lot of money to be made, and so it’s very easy to go down that path and as long as you are smart enough ... you can get away with this” ("MLB on FS1 Pregame," FS1, 4/30). Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, "It's disappointing, but I don't think it's ever going to go away. I think the rewards are too great from a financial standpoint" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/1).
HOW DID THOSE GET THERE? Gordon and Colabello both said that they "didn't know how the substances got into their system." In Boston, Nick Cafardo asked, "Is this a missive from the Players' Association to play dumb?" The MLBPA "denies it," but "it's a pattern" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/1). In Seattle, Larry Stone wrote the "greatest scourge of the steroids era" is that every "historic achievement or heartwarming career resurrection is bound to be tainted by whispers of PEDs." Virtually nothing "is fully trusted anymore" (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/30). In Boston, Bob Ryan wrote the "sad reality brought home to us in the past few days is that on the subject of improved performance, everyone" is now "presumed guilty from the start" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/1). In Chicago, Paul Sullivan wrote under the header, "Baseball Wages Unwinnable Battle Against Players Who Try To Cheat Game" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/1).
