MLB has “fired some members of its investigative team and moved to restructure the unit” in the wake of suspended Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez’s PED case, according to Eder & Schmidt of the N.Y. TIMES. The unit was “formed on the recommendation" of former U.S. Sen. George Mitchell following his report on PED use for MLB in '07. MLB COO Rob Manfred, who oversaw the Rodriguez case, said Thursday, “After the Biogenesis investigation, we made a decision that certain structural changes were necessary in order to have a more efficient and effective investigative unit. Once we made structural changes, it resulted in the elimination of some positions.” The league eliminated the positions of MLB Senior VP/Investigations Dan Mullin, Dir of Investigations George Hanna and investigator Ed Dominguez. The commissioner’s office “plans to hire a former prosecutor who will oversee the investigations department.” Some investigators in the unit “have been retained, but MLB plans to hire contractors to assist in future investigations” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/2). In N.Y., Vinton & O’Keeffe note speculation about Mullin has “swirled since last fall,” when Rodriguez’ legal team “accused him of engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship with a witness in the Biogenesis case.” A source said Mullin has “known for a while that his departure from MLB was eminent and bears no grievance against the league” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/2).
