MLB and the MLBPA still are "trying to figure out a way to further deter the temptation" for players to use PEDs, but the league's new domestic abuse policy "may have gotten it right the first time" after Rockies SS Jose Reyes was suspended Friday for 51 games, according to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY. Reyes is "permitted to immediately participate in the Rockies' extended spring training" and will be "eligible to play in minor-league games starting June 1." But the Rockies, who "planned to trade Reyes all along after they acquired him last July" from the Blue Jays in exchange for SS Troy Tulowitzki, "now are desperate to move him." There are teams that "won't touch Reyes because of this case," just as the Dodgers and others backed away from their pursuit of then-Reds P Aroldis Chapman "after his domestic abuse case during the winter." Chapman was eventually traded to the Yankees. Next "on the docket" is Braves RF Hector Olivera. MLB is still investigating his domestic violence incident, "but you can be assured it will come down hard." The precedent "has been set," as MLB "has demonstrated that it has a zero tolerance policy for domestic violence, and the punishment will be severe" (USATODAY.com, 5/14). MLB Network’s Joel Sherman said, "All business, not just sports businesses, need to have zero tolerance for this. One of the ways to get towards zero ... is maybe some suspensions with some real bite in it. Both of the suspensions so far have had bite” (“MLB Tonight,” MLB Network, 5/13).
WORKING OUT THE KINKS: SI.com's Cliff Corcoran wrote if Chapman "got 30 games for an incident in which no arrest was made or charges filed," and Reyes got 51 games "for an incident in which the charges were dropped prior to trial, one imagines that any player taken to trial on domestic violence charges could miss as much as half a season (which is the current suspension for a first-offense performance-enhancing drug violation)." Following that logic, a player "found guilty of domestic violence could find his season, and, in turn, his salary, wiped out entirely." Whatever "kinks still need to be worked out" in MLB's process, the league and Commissioner Rob Manfred "should be commended for their newfound refusal to tolerate such incidents on the part of its players" (SI.com, 5/13). ESPN.com's Jayson Stark noted by suspending Reyes, Manfred was "telling the world much, much more than the quote in MLB's press release." What Manfred was really saying is, "Behavior like this is unacceptable in our sport and in our society." Stark: "I don't know if [51] games were enough to satisfy the masses on a case such as this. I know I expected more." But MLB's domestic violence agreement "lays out no groundwork," as it "dumps that entire decision into the lap of the commissioner" (ESPN.com, 5/13).
WAS PUNISHMENT ENOUGH? In N.Y., Mike Lupica wrote there is a "fair debate about whether Reyes got enough of a punishment here, even though the charges against him were eventually dropped." It is also "fair to wonder why a positive drug test gets you 80 games in baseball and shoving a woman through a glass door gets you substantially less than that, whether the woman wants to cooperate with the authorities later, or not" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/15). SPORTING NEWS' Jesse Spector wrote it "does seem incongruous on the surface" to see Royals SS Raul Mondesi get a 50-game suspension for "taking the wrong kind of cold medicine, while Reyes gets only one additional game for allegedly grabbing his wife by the throat and shoving her against a sliding glass door." Spector: "As much as we might want sweeping change in attitudes toward domestic violence, with immediate effect, we also have to recognize incremental progress for what it is." A "step in the right direction should be viewed as such" (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 5/13). Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal noted there is an "important distinction" between the punishment for Reyes and a PED user. A player suspended for using PEDs "is guilty of something, he has tested positive," while the charges against Reyes "were dropped." Rosenthal: "Without formal proof of the allegations, there's only so far that Manfred can go” (“MLB on FS1 Pregame,” FS1, 5/14).
FINISH STRONG: ESPNW.com's Jane McManus wrote MLB is "carefully crafting a staircase of penalties, where the circumstances and facts slot an incident at a higher or lower disciplinary step." The league has also "instituted a training program for all players aimed at prevention." But if MLB wants fans to "get the idea that domestic violence is something the league can't tolerate, maybe tone down the celebratory staging on the return." McManus: "If you are going to take the issue seriously, it has to be start to finish" (ESPNW.com, 5/15).In Denver, Patrick Saunders wrote there are "public-relations ramifications" to the Reyes situation for the Rockies. If he "rejoins the team," Rockies Owner Dick Monfort and GM Jeff Bridich "would probably say, 'He has paid his debt, we believe in second chances and he's a member of our team.'" That "might fly with some fans but not with others." Or the Rockies could "simply cut ties with Reyes and move on." Saunders: "That would probably be the best move from a PR standpoint" (DENVER POST, 5/15).
