With arbitrator Frederic Horowitz reportedly close to ruling on Alex Rodriguez's 211-game suspension, the embattled Rodriguez is weighing his options on how to proceed if his ban is upheld. He may be willing to forego a legal challenge to the suspension if it is substantially reduced, reports Wallace Matthews of ESPNNewYork.com.
A source tells Matthews that the magic number could be around 100 games, with a ban at or above that level making a further fight "likely." Presumably, a reduced suspension could result either from Horowitz's ruling or through negotiations with MLB. Sources told the New York Daily News yesterday that 65 games represented the level at which Rodriguez might be willing to back down.
These reports constitute a softening of the public position of Rodriguez's team, which has previously insisted that any suspension would warrant pursuit of relief in federal court. But if Rodriguez can whittle the ban down to a low enough point, the financial balance (and obvious risk of failure in a difficult legal challenge) could shift in favor of dropping his case.
A ruling on Rodriguez's grievance proceeding could come as soon as Friday, according to Matthews. Of course, the ultimate suspension length promises to have a major impact on the Yankees. New York stands to lose Rodriguez from its lineup, while also saving a big chunk of his sizeable salary, over the term of whatever ban is ultimately arrived upon.
We’ve heard this before. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Why the league ever pursued a suspension greater than everyone else’s continues to baffle me.
Ive never understood this either
Cause he failed a drug test and humiliated a regular man doing his job! Oh wait no that was braun, and he got 60… makes perfect sense when you realize Mr. Selig use to own the brewers
braun came in, admitted to everything and agreed to a suspension. a-rod claimed that he didn’t do anything.
He had to get caught twice to admit, arod admitted the first time, and what has arod done that the other guys haven’t? multiple uses? so your telling me everyone else just trying it once and that was it? its all bull until we see concrete evidence in my opinion
A-rod tried to interfere with the investigation. He refused to negotiate with MLB knowing that he had violated the drug policy. He still seems to think he’s done oohing wrong.
He had to get caught twice to admit, arod admitted the first time, and what has arod done that the other guys haven’t? multiple uses? so your telling me everyone else just trying it once and that was it? its all nonsense until we see concrete evidence in my opinion
He was the only player in the situation where the team desperately wanted to get out of paying his contract. If A-Rod was still young and in his prime and the Yankees didn’t mind paying him, he would have got the same suspension that Braun got.
Right. I can understand suspending Arod like everyone else, but really, 211 games?
Braun failed a drug test and got 65 games, why should Arod get so much more than that? This is where I don’t understand it. And these aren’t supposed to be arbitrary, he should have a reasoning for the 211 number
Wasn’t 211 the remainder of the current season when the suspension was handed down, plus the entire following season?
Not that that makes it any less arbitrary…
That was my understanding. And the reason for the lengthy suspension was because he allegedly tampered with MLB’s investigation by purchasing the Biogenesis documents.
Didn’t he allegedly purchase the Biogenesis docs after the suspension was announced?
I also don’t get why it is so out of whack with what the CBA says. Arod reportedly failed a 2003 drug test that was supposed to remain anonymous. 50 games first suspension, 100 2nd. Since you threw out Braun’s test, and then only gave him 65 games, what is the rational for the 211. As far as I’m concerned his suspension should be right around the Braun if anything.
Selig never owned any of A-Rod’s teams. Braun got off easy if he promised to polish Selig’s statue outside Miller Park.
It’s the same failure. He went to MLB and worked out a deal. Had he faught it like a-rod his suspension would have been longer.
Because nobody really likes him and nobody really cares
How is he expected to feed his family with only the possibility of making 15 million this year? Poor fella. I’m a Yankees fan and am VERY sick of hearing about him. I wish he would just disapear.
He might have gone away if the yankees didn’t bid against themselves after he opted out of his contract in 2007.
Cashman and the Yankees front office gave him this contract.. they should not be given a free pass cause baseball has a vendetta against arod.. every team has bad contracts and is strapped by them
Except for the Red Sox who somehow get the Dodgers to take very bad contract they have and STILL get stuff back…
Levine gave him the contract. Levine needs to go.
Yeah…..probably their lowest point in a long long time.
I’m no A-Rod fan, but I certainly can’t imagine any reason why he should just forfeit the $86MM remaining on his contract just to help the Yankees out.
A-Rod would still have time left on the contract even if he served the full 211 game suspension and I doubt he’d retire and let the Yankees out from that contract
He makes 20 million a year in non MLB income. Don’t worry about Arod.
Oh thank god!
A suspension around 100 games and he doesn’t challenge it blows Steinbrenner’s supposed austerity plan out of the water.
It’s no big deal, since some don’t believe anything that front office ever says about austerity plans anyway, *but*.. I am curious to see if they go way beyond the 189m figure, or just barely with Rodriquez no longer coming off of the books.
It’s my belief that they would have never announced their intention to reduce salary ever without league pressure and like said above, it’s no big deal. Now they have a reason to forge ahead for another year at least if they wish. I expect them to land Tanaka now regardless.
I agree with you on the league pressure. I suspect they are using revenue sharing relief as a carrot, or perhaps a stick (threaten to increase it or count some of the YES revenues as taxable)
A-Rod should ask for the same as Ryan Braun’s suspension. Regardless of whatever they’ve got on him for tampering with evidence, it doesn’t change the laughing stock that Braun made of everyone in 2011. 211 was a joke.
211 is just 2011 without the 0. Interesting, no?
I don’t think the MLB should cave here.
If they can justify a stiff sentence, then why should they back down to A-Rod because he would not challenge a lesser one!
I am tired of seeing people cave.
It would be a breathe of fresh air to see someone challenge somebody!
The issue is that they can’t justify the sentence.
Has anyone explained why A-Rod was suspended for longer than everyone else?
Unfortunately for MLB, “We wanted to make an example out of him” doesn’t justify a suspension that’s three or four times longer than any of the other ones handed down at the time.
And I think the emphasis is on “at the same time.” There were more than a couple suspensions handed out that day, plus the one to Braun earlier in the season. For there to be a 146 game discrepancy between A-Rod and the next highest guy (Braun – who had in fact tested positive) is absurd.
As a Yankees fan I don’t wish this long & tiring circus on ANY other team (including the RedSox). I just wish he’d just retire and go away. I hope that whatever decision is made, it will be the final one in this damn thing!
Agreed, but would you retire if you had 90 million dollars left that is owed to you and all you have to do it show up?
I know why he won’t retire but a disgruntled & tired Yankee fan can only wish… lol
I think a lot of baseball fans are wishing A-Rod would just go away
If not for the MLBPA he would be wearing Red Sox and 2004 would never have happened.
Also true, but at that point I was just like the rest of us who really believed he was on his way to become the “clean” HR King one day.
And a team that would have had Manny, Ortiz & A-Rod would have still won the World Series that year. (Remember that he was a good Postseason hitter up until ALCS Game 5 that year).
The proposed trade would have sent Manny to Texas and A-Rod to Boston. And Manny was a better hitter than A-Rod in 2004 so who knows what would’ve happened.
Oh yeah! Totally forgot that.
The Red Sox would have traded Manny Ramirez to Texas in the A-Rod deal so it would have been A-Rod and Ortiz
Y’know, when somebody in the Yankees front office made some kind of comment about a free agent they weren’t willing to sign, there was talk about that being unethical and affecting free agent negotiations and such. When A-Rod’s team “releases” information like this, isn’t it essentially “telling” the arbitrator that if he’s on the fence about his decision, here’s what we’ll accept? Isn’t that some form of tampering too?
Arod will take the same punishment the Yankees get
None?
Good point. He should at least get yelled at.
I am a Yankee fan who used to defend him. I can’t wait for him to disappear.
Players and their union have agreed to the arbitration process—and now A-Fraud wants to throw that out the door and take it further? Throw this clown out of baseball all together.
Part of the process is the commissioner testifying when called on. Horowitz left himself opened to be challenged by not requiring this.
When the process does not work as intended, you have a right to take it to court.
I am not sure you are correct in saying the commissioner has to testify. The below excerpt is taken from the NY Daily News.
“In the entire history of the Joint Drug Agreement, the commissioner has not testified in a single case,” Pat Courtney said in a statement. “Major League Baseball has the burden of proof in this matter. MLB selected Rob Manfred as its witness to explain the penalty imposed in this case.”
it just seems like if Arod is willing to accept a shorter penalty, its the same as admitting that he was guilty. Not that we didn’t know he wasn’t, its just food for thought.
The issue is one process at this point I think. MLB clearly violated their own agreed upon process and just like court, A-Rod is seeking for legal acknowledgment of that violation and then ultimately to take that and throw out the whole issue because of that violate.
I don’t think there’s any debate that he’s guilty. Well…A-Rod is probably still trying to convince somebody…
The real debate is why should A-Rod get such a severe suspension compared to what everybody else got. The drug policy in MLB states that it’s a 50 game suspension for a first offense, a 100 game suspension for a 2nd offense and a lifetime ban for the third offense.
Guys like Cruz and Peralta get a 50 game suspension, coincidentally on the exact same day that would make them eligible to return for post season play.
They considered this a second offense for Braun, but instead of giving him the 100 game suspension, we’ll just let you sit out the rest of the 60+ games this season. He’s kind of banged up and having a bad year anyway, and Bud’s Brewers are already out of the playoff race. We’ll just call it close enough.
A-Rod has a bad contract that the Yankees have been trying to get out of for years. Let’s suspend him for the rest of this year and all of next year. We can save the Yankees some money, and they can be more active in free agency – and hey maybe A-Rod will be too old to play again and will just forfeit the rest of his contract. Cross fingers!
I don’t like having to defend A-Rod, but MLB shouldn’t be able to just make up suspensions on the fly based on what ever is best for the team. It’s every bit as sleazy and shoddy as A-Rod’s cheating.
The 50,100, lifetime structure only applies to failed tests.
He’s allegedly taken & solicited steroids, as well as tried to bribe witnesses and tamper with the investigation. Pull this at your place of employment and see how fast your fired.
The 50,100, lifetime structure only applies to failed tests and every player involved in the Biogenesis scandal not named Alex Rodriguez.
I’d also get fired it I threw a baseball at somebody in my office. Still doesn’t make it a very good metaphor.
All the other players plea bargained, thus Braun receiving 65 games and not 50 nor 100.
Throwing a baseball is within the context of MLB whereas in your office it’s not. However, in the NHL players have in the past been charged with assault for actions taken on the ice.
All players were handed down a suspension. All were told that if they tried to appeal their suspension, then they would possibly face an even longer suspension. Every player that received a suspension greater than 65 games appealed their suspension. There was no plea bargaining.
They did plea bargain. They accepted a shorter suspension of 50 games in exchange for forfeiting their right to appeal. MLB can’t retroactively assign a longer suspension if the player decides to appeal. Particularly if they’re following the 50/100/lifetime structure associated with the failed test policy.
With exception to the players that had previously failed a test prior to the Biogenesis and already served their suspensions, ie Melky, Colon, etc, no player suspension was based on a failed test.
I don’t think there’s any debate that he’s guilty. Well…A-Rod is probably still trying to convince somebody…
The real debate is why should A-Rod get such a severe suspension compared to what everybody else got. The drug policy in MLB states that it’s a 50 game suspension for a first offense, a 100 game suspension for a 2nd offense and a lifetime ban for the third offense.
Guys like Cruz and Peralta get a 50 game suspension, coincidentally on the exact same day that would make them eligible to return for post season play.
They considered this a second offense for Braun, but instead of giving him the 100 game suspension, we’ll just let you sit out the rest of the 60+ games this season. He’s kind of banged up and having a bad year anyway, and Bud’s Brewers are already out of the playoff race. We’ll just call it close enough.
A-Rod has a bad contract that the Yankees have been trying to get out of for years. Let’s suspend him for the rest of this year and all of next year. We can save the Yankees some money, and they can be more active in free agency – and hey maybe A-Rod will be too old to play again and will just forfeit the rest of his contract. Cross fingers!
I don’t like having to defend A-Rod, but MLB shouldn’t be able to just make up suspensions on the fly based on what ever is best for the team. It’s every bit as sleazy and shoddy as A-Rod’s cheating.
Look at it in his shoes. He has made some horrible decisions, but he is really being harassed by the MLB. 211 games is ludicrous.
“I promise you on anything that’s ever meant anything to me in my life – the morals, the values, the virtues by which I’ve lived in my 28 years on this planet – I did not do this. ” ~ Ryan Braun
Ultimately the Yankees signed the contract too so they should be on the hook for every penny. That being said….I’m still beyond sick on heard the name “ARod.
I still can’t believe that trade went down, yes they got Agon but taking crawford and beckett too was insane
AGon is already regressing.
AGon was better in 2013 than in 2012… he’s still not matching his 2009-2011 numbers, but he represented a significant upgrade over James Loney, and the 1B free agent market has been pretty weak for several seasons.
I agree, but his price tag is pretty steep. Couple that with them taking on Beckett and Crawford as well as Nick Punto, the deal was certainly questionable at best. Only Punto delivered on his contract.
I agree, but his price tag is pretty steep. Couple that with them taking on Beckett and Crawford as well as Nick Punto, the deal was certainly questionable at best. Only Punto delivered on his contract.
Those things only seem to pan out for the Red Sox…..and the Dodgers couldn’t take on that payroll fast enough.
And the Sox got two awesome pitching prospects! It might be the greatest deal pulled off by the Sox in their history.
How did those awesome pitching prospects do last year?
I’d say they showed great promise and Farrell is excited about them, especially Webster. That alone is enough for me. Webster will be in the starting rotation at some point this year and De La Rosa can hit 102 mph on his fastball. There’s plenty to look forward to with these two. The Sox have plenty of arms to continue winning world series! Thanks for asking!
His is in a league of its own for now. Pujols, Fielder, Cano, Kemp, and Choo might join him down the road, but no team has an albatross like that. Fortunately they can afford it.
Pujols is going to be worse than Arods as he is declining only a couple years into his contract. AT the very least, the Yankees did get some very productive years with ARod and the 2009 World Series would not have happened without his production.
Too early to tell. ARod hasn’t been himself since he got the new contract. Pujols had a decent year in 2012 and a bad 2014 but he’s young enough to turn it around.
Too early to tell. ARod hasn’t been himself since he got the new contract. Pujols had a decent year in 2012 and a bad 2014 but he’s young enough to turn it around.
He is 33 with 8 years left on his contract. He may be decent for the next 2-4 years, but its all a landslide at about 36 and up.
How does that make him worse than A-Rod though? If he looks even remotely like old Pujols over the next 2-4 years, it’ll be a better contract than A-Rod.
bottom line is if pujols doesn’t get a ring then that is false.. A-rod was easily one of the main reasons the yankees won in 09, him and matsui carried everyone elses bad hitting
Pujols played the 2014 season already? In MLB?
Without Arod the Yankees do not win the 2009 World Series.
I’ll argue in favor of the Championship thank you very much.
That’s one thing that 275 million will buy you. For that kind of money, I’d rather laugh at how he was benched for Raul Ibanez instead.
maybe. that’s assuming him not being on that team would leave a giant void in their lineup. i imagine if he wasn’t, they would’ve used that money else where. who knows who else would’ve been a yankee that year.
I hope either Horowitz rules in AROD’s favor or that the suspension is drastically reduced JUST SO the Yankees don’t get a mulligan on his contract.
Best outcome would probably be if A-Rod’s suspension were invalidated the day before he tore his ACL falling down some stairs or something.
Obviously he is offering Horowitz a carrot here. However, way back it was understood Arod probably would have accepted 100 games without gong to arbitration.
If Horowitz goes for one of the 2 extremes, 211 games or 0 games, he gets fired be either MLB or MLBPA. If 211 games he also ends up in court.
100 games is the perfect number unless Bud has given him a golden parachute.
Throw him out, he has not had a clean at bat his whole career. CHEATER!
He’s been taking the same drug tests as everybody else in the MLB.
If there was a way they could make the Yankees pay what they owe Rodriguez and Rodrigues not get the money that would be awesome.
This is, in my view, the most honest outcome. Teams should have to share in the Moral Hazard of writing big contracts to known or suspected PED abusers, there’s no reason it should be totally on the players. The Yankees have their 2009 World Series thanks in large part to A-Rod, now they’re going to eat their cake, too.
I was thinking along these lines with Tony LaRussa. Tony was the leader in clubhouses that produced two steroid moments – Bash Brothers in Oakland the 1998 Homerun Race in St. Louis. LaRussa should have at least been held next to the standards of players entering the Hall.
And small market teams will be crying foul when one of their players is suspended and they ‘can’t afford’ to replace the player despite collecting millions in revenue sharing dollars.
The issue isn’t why ARod got a longer suspension than Braun. It’s why Braun got a more lenient suspension than ARod. Maybe I’m just unrealistically harsh, but if I were in charge I’d be throwing out much tougher punishments. These suspensions are a joke.
Pete Rose got caught gambling ONCE and he was banned for life. ARod has repeatedly been caught for drug use in addition to tampering with evidence, and he’s making a fuss over a year and some change? Grow up, ya whiner! Kick him out of the MLB for good!
Totally Agree! Taking PEDs and Gambling both affect the game on the field. So they should be handled in the same way.
You can’t allow Managers to bet on games. Throwing games is a lot worse than PED’s.
At least remember that Pete Rose bet on his teams to win, so he wasn’t throwing anything.
You can’t allow Managers to bet on games. Throwing games is a lot worse than PED’s.
Totally Agree! Taking PEDs and Gambling both affect the game on the field. So they should be handled in the same way.
MLB doesn’t care about the integrity of the game, it’s more about giving the League’s most valued franchise a mulligan on a contract that the team certainly regrets. Certainly MLB doesn’t want A-Rod’s contract to continue serving as a benchmark for players- any manner of reducing the actual value of the current Gold-standard contract will be beneficial to MLB.
How much “integrity of the game” was preserved when the Braun suspension was negotiated? A two time loser who beat the system last time gets to sit for 65 games, at his pre-extension lower salary, and rest his injuries? How much was preserved when Peralta signed his latest contract? Let’s stop kidding ourselves.
Betting on games as a manager is much worse than PED use in my opinion. At least those guys are trying to win games, not lose them.
If Rose was betting on his Reds to win, why would he be trying to lose?
It’s much tougher to bet on your team to win and actually do it. The manager SHOULD be playing to win. Betting to lose is where Pete Rose could manipulate the results through managerial pitching moves and lineup changes. It was his lineup card after all.
And that’s kind of the point. Rose bet on his teams to win. It’s still betting and still a violation, but there shouldn’t be the “trying to throw games” disgrace attached to it.
I agree that breaking the rule about betting on games is a worse offense than PEDs. Rose bet on his own team to win however, not lose. He did however, have a betting pattern that gamblers who knew his wagers could use. For example, he rarely, if ever bet the Reds when Mario Soto was pitching. That info. could certainly be helpful to a gambler. In addition, if Rose bet heavy on the Reds one might assume that he would use his closer in the 8th inning, or similar unconventional regular season moves to tilt the odds in his favor. He also lied about his gambling for two decades and only told the truth to sell a book. He deserves the ban.
Well, he has since admitted to betting on the Reds every night.
So there’s that…
Braun and the others essentially plea bargained.
I don’t see why Rodriguez believes he would win in a lawsuit against MLB. There has to be an awfully compelling reason why a judge would interfere with a binding arbitration clause in a contract and “Bud Selig was mean to me” hardly fits. That’s precisely the kind of thing the arbitrator is empowered to rule about.
Wasn’t baseball willing to negotiate a shorter suspension with A-Rod during the investigation.
I don’t mean to be cynical, but how do you know it’s not a ploy to influence the arbitrator to come to a lower penalty, and then they appeal anyway? Horowitz should do what he thinks is appropriate under the terms of the CBA after reviewing the evidence. If MLB and A-Rod negotiate a lower number after Horowitz makes his ruling, that’s their business.
Some of the “let’s penalize the Yankees and A-Rod comments I’m seeing here are misplaced. If MLB wants to negotiate penalties to both the team and the player in the next CBA, then so be it. But you can’t just change the rules just because it’s the Yankees.
If anything I’d think this would cause the arbitrator to give a lengthier suspension. I’d give him the 211 and let Arod try to plea bargain with MLB before wasting millions of dollars in federal court.
Stalling works for A-Rod, at least, up to a point. His salary dropped from $28M in 2013 to $25M in 2013 and $21M in 2015. Again, being very cynical, the extra 65 games he appealed in 2013 money was worth more than he can lose in 2015 money at a lower rate of pay. That delay alone is worth @2.8Million, although I’m sure he’s paid his lawyers more than that. The longer he stalls, the lower the rate of pay, and the more money he saves.
That’s assuming a federal judge grants an injunction requiring MLB to allow ARod to play. Last year he was able to play due to clauses in the CBA allowing him to do so while appealing the suspension.
At this point unless the arbitrator give him zero games or the federal government intervenes Arod won’t be on the field for opening day this year.