On Saturday, Alex Rodriguez had his suspension reduced from 211 games to 162 games. The scorned New York Yankees slugger will likely miss the entire 2014 season and all of the postseason, assuming he has no luck with bringing his case to federal court. Had he been willing to cooperate last year, A-Rod could have reportedly already served his suspension and been done with it.
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, A-Rod had an opportunity to work out a plea deal with MLB for something in the neighborhood of a 50-game suspension back in the spring. That would have allowed him to serve the punishment and return to the field late in the 2013 season — before Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch decided to cooperate with the league.
If Rodriguez had agreed to something last spring, before MLB investigators had all the Biogenesis details from Bosch, Rodriguez might’ve been able to barter for a suspension for something close to 50 games, or what a first-time offender gets for a first positive PED test. If he had taken responsibility then, owned up and made his best possible deal, then A-Rod probably would’ve been back on the field late in the 2013 season, with the whole matter behind him.
Despite the fact that Rodriguez’s name is allegedly plastered all over Bosch’s records, he has maintained that he is 100% innocent and has not used performance-enhancing drugs since he admitted to doing so earlier in his career. A-Rod has stormed out of arbitration hearings and attacked MLB, calling Bud Selig and company liars and frauds.
Apparently Rodriguez feels that there was no turning back once he denied being associated with Bosch or taking any illegal substances. At this point, it would hardly be a surprise if the 38-year-old’s career is over.
H/T Hardball Talk
