Braves RF Jeff Francoeur called MLB's current PED penalty system "flawed" and said the league has "got to find a stiffer penalty." Appearing with ESPN's Buster Olney on the "Baseball Tonight Podcast," Francoeur noted the MLBPA "doesn't want to give the commissioner's office all this power and stuff, which I completely understand." Francoeur: "At the same time, the players' association needs to understand the majority of players want stiffer penalties." Francoeur said the players and the union are "standing our ground on a lot of issues, whether it's arbitration or free agency rights" because "we deserve that." But he said probably 90% of players "want stiffer penalties on PEDs." Francoeur: "We have to start listening to the majority of players and not the other way around.” In terms of punishments, Francoeur said players "hate the words ‘voiding contracts’” for those who test positive for PEDs. But he added, "You’ll see at this year’s meetings when all of us get together ... we’re really going to have to talk hard about the stance we want to take on this” (“Baseball Tonight Podcast,” ESPN.com, 7/7).
