Dee Gordon Receives 80-Game PED Suspension
10:39am: Gordon tested positive for the pair of substances in Spring Training, a league source tells ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
12:20am: In a stunning development, Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon has been hit with an eighty-game suspension for PEDs, according to a league announcement. He tested positive for the banned substances exogenous testosterone and clostebol.
Needless to say, the news represents a sudden turnaround for a player who had risen to become one of the game’s more celebrated personalities. Gordon, the 28-year-old son of longtime major leaguer Tom Gordon and brother of Twins’ prospect Nick Gordon, inked a five-year, $50MM extension with the Marlins over the winter after an excellent 2015 season.
Gordon will sacrifice about half of his $3MM salary for the present season under that contract. He’ll also obviously miss out on a chance to defend his National League batting and stolen base titles from a year ago. And if Miami manages to right the ship — an even taller order now with Gordon out — he won’t be eligible for postseason play.
It seems likely that the Fish will turn to Derek Dietrich to occupy at least a good portion of the time at the keystone. He has plenty of experience there, though he’s not much of a fielder. The left-handed-swinging 26-year-old is a promising hitter, though. Alternatively, the club could utilize Martin Prado at second while deploying Dietrich and/or Chris Johnson at third base.
Regardless, the overall mix is substantially weakened. Gordon was off to a slow start this year, but he doesn’t need to keep up quite his 2015 pace to be of value. He had already enjoyed a breakout in the season prior before being dealt by the Dodgers, but Gordon stepped up even further in his first year in Miami with a .333/.359/.418 slash, 58 stolen bases, and highly-regarded glovework.
To be sure, Gordon is not the lumbering slugger who is traditionally associated with performance enhancing drugs. But this represents the latest reminder that such substances aren’t reserved for bulking up; they can also improve athletic performance in other ways and, especially, aid in injury recovery.
Quite unlike the situation facing the Blue Jays with regard to Chris Colabello, who was also just suspended, the Marlins are committed to Gordon via the aforementioned contract. Miami will simply need to hope that he’s able to repair his image and maintain his performance on the field upon his return.
That’s the message given by club president David Samson, who said the organization was disappointed but would welcome Gordon back when his suspension ends. (Video via the Miami Herald.) The Marlins did not learn about the suspension until today, per Samson. Miami has obviously have placed high expectations on Gordon to “do whatever is necessary to make it up to our fans, to his teammates, and to this organization.”
Gordon apparently decided to drop his appeal at this time, making the suspension effective after tonight’s game, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tweets. (Notably, Gordon just finished helping the club to a four-game sweep of his former team.) It’s still not clear precisely when the positive test occurred, though it’s certainly possible that — as with Colabello — it took place at some point during Spring Training.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Orioles Sign Wandy Rodriguez To Minor League Deal
The Orioles have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, Dan Connolly of BaltimoreBaseball.com first reported (links to Connolly on Twitter). The 37-year-old Wasserman Media Group client will head to the extended Spring Training at the Orioles’ facility in Sarasota, Fla., according to Connolly. The O’s announced the deal minutes later.
Rodriguez was in Spring Training with the Astros this season but didn’t make the club. He had an offer to pitch for Houston’s Triple-A affiliate but elected to once again enter the open market, where he’s now found a new home with the O’s. Rodriguez spent half the season with the Rangers in 2015, pitching quite well from April through June after winning the fifth spot in Texas’ injury-depleted rotation. Rodriguez turned in a 3.20 ERA with a 50-to-23 K/BB ratio through his first 11 starts as a Ranger before melting down and yielding 24 runs over his next 21 2/3 innings. That dismal stretch led to a DFA and a subsequent release.
Rodriguez will presumably provide Baltimore with some rotation depth at the Triple-A level once he gets up to speed in extended Spring Training. Yovani Gallardo has already landed on the DL with a shoulder problem, and Kevin Gausman spent the early portion of the season on the disabled list as well. It’s also worth noting that Baltimore’s rotation depth took a hit when the club released Miguel Gonzalez late in March. In addition to the injured Gallardo and the aforementioned Gausman, the O’s have Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Mike Wright in their rotation, as well as right-handers Tyler Wilson and Vance Worley in the bullpen, each of whom has starting experience. The O’s also have Odrisamer Despaigne and David Hale at the Triple-A level, so Rodriguez is a ways down the depth chart for the time being. In parts of 11 big league seasons, Rodriguez has a career 4.10 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 1557 1/3 innings.
Reactions To And Effects Of Dee Gordon’s Suspension
What was a rather quiet news Thursday in terms of baseball news culminated with a bombshell, as the league announced at 1:17am Friday morning that reigning NL batting champion and two-time All-Star Dee Gordon has been suspended 80 games for the use of banned substances exogenous testosterone and clostebol. The news was clearly difficult to swallow not only for Gordon’s Marlins but also for the Dodgers, who suffered a four-game sweep at the hands of the Marlins due in no small part to Gordon’s game-tying hit in last night’s series finale. Gordon signed a five-year, $50MM contract extension this winter and is arguably the highest-profile player to be hit with a PED suspension since the 2013 Biogenesis scandal saw the likes of Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun serve penalties. This morning, Gordon issued the following statement, via press release:
“Though I did not do so knowingly, I have been informed that test results showed I ingested something that contained prohibited substances. The hardest part about this is feeling that I have let down my teammates, the organization, and the fans. I have been careful to avoid products that could contain something banned by MLB and the 20+ tests that I have taken and passed throughout my career prove this. I made a mistake and I accept the consequences.”
Here are some early reactions from around the game (though there surely will be more to follow over the weekend)…
- The Gordon suspension will fuel the fire for debates about greater penalties for first-time offenders, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal penned a column just a week ago in which players such as Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, Matt Holliday and Clayton Kershaw all voiced an openness, if not a desire for stronger testing within the game. With the current collective bargaining agreement slated to expire on Dec. 1, the question will arise from recent suspensions of Gordon, Chris Colabello (and, last season, Ervin Santana) is whether there are enough players that have reached their breaking point on PED usage to push the MLBPA to concede to more extreme punishment. Holliday suggested to Rosenthal a two-year ban, though Rosenthal himself wonders if at a certain point the MLBPA will cave and allow some or all of a player’s long-term contract to be voided by PED usage. That, of course, would create plenty of other potential controversy, particularly if, for instance, a player on a decidedly poor contract (from the club’s vantage point) were to test positive for PEDs and then claim to have never taken a banned substance.
- Asked about losing Gordon for 80 games following such a high point (sweeping the Dodgers in L.A.), manager Don Mattingly offered the following comments (video link via Andre Fernandez of the Miami Herald): “Obviously two different ends of the spectrum for us as a team. You would expect our guys to be in there, excited, and then we get this news, so not quite the feeling… but, from there, we’ll support Dee. These guys love Dee. I feel like he’s one of my kids, to be honest with you. I’ve known him for so long, and I love him, and we’re going to move forward. … Definitely shocked and surprised. From there, it just happened so fast, it’s one of those situations where you love your kids, and that’s Dee, for me. That’s one of mine. … As a ball club, it’s a different scene. The story is, we have to move forward. And that’s what happens in professional sports: stuff happens, and you move forward, and you’ve got to find a way to get around it.”
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes that Derek Dietrich is the most logical alternative for the Marlins with Gordon out for half the season. The club could consider moving Martin Prado back to second base and playing Chris Johnson (or Dietrich) at third base, and there’s an argument to go with the defensive-minded Miguel Rojas at second base as well. However, Dietrich has made nearly half of his Major League starts as a second baseman, and while he’s not a plus defender like Gordon or Rojas, he’s batted a very solid .263/.352/.471 in 321 plate appearances dating back to last season (albeit with the benefit of some fairly heavy platooning to shield him from left-handed pitching).
- Gordon’s suspension is a reminder that there’s no way to reasonably predict who could be using performance enhancing drugs, writes Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, referencing Gordon’s 171-pound frame. Passan also notes that continued suspensions even in the face of increased testing and stronger penalties for first-time offenders lead to collateral damage like Stephen A. Smith’s recent, baseless comments on Jake Arrieta, which can blame the irresponsible speculation on the mere fact that others in the game continue to cheat the system (or at least attempt to do so). Passan opines that regardless of how much pressure is placed on the MLBPA to consider allowing teams to void multi-year deals for PED offenders, the Players Association “understands that’s the sort of Pandora’s Box nobody dare open.”
- ESPN’s Buster Olney writes that Gordon’s suspension serves only as further proof that the potential reward for using PEDs far outweighs the risks. The Marlins don’t know if Gordon was using PEDs during his breakout 2014 with the Dodgers, nor do they know if banned substances contributed to Gordon’s brilliant followup in 2015, when he hit .333/.359/.418 to lead the league in hitting (and also led the NL with 58 steals). The team will owe Gordon roughly $48MM despite the suspension, which will cost him about $1.63MM worth of pay this season. The discrepancy between those two sums is only magnified when juxtaposed with Olney’s stories of his interactions with Gordon early in his career, when he was struggling simply to stay in the Major Leagues after being relegated to the bench and changing positions. That’s not to say that Gordon used PEDs during that time — we have no way of knowing that, and he’s passed dozens of tests prior to his recent transgression — but players in similar situations can certainly look to Gordon’s situation and see the temptation of banned substances.
Central Notes: Rios, Montero, Federowicz, Contreras, Reds
Since finishing out his contract with the Royals, veteran outfielder Alex Rios has remained conspicuously absent from the rumor mill. And with nearly a month of the season in the books, he has yet to sign. But the 35-year-old isn’t necessarily retiring, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link). Rios had offers to play for teams, says Heyman, but has held out for a “significant role.” Of course, it seems unlikely that such an opportunity will suddenly present itself while Rios waits at home — particularly since he slashed a meager .255/.287/.353 last year — so it may well turn out that we’ve seen the last of him in the majors.
Here are a few notes from the central divisions:
- The Cubs have placed catcher Miguel Montero on the 15-day DL to give him a chance to rest his back. Expectations are that Montero won’t be out for long, and he says that he believes the issue stems from a chronic bulging disk, via Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times (Twitter link). Chicago has gone with Tim Federowicz to pair with David Ross for the time being. As Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com tweets, the veteran call-up is likely to get a fair bit of playing time; Ross, after all, has been a career reserve and is in his final season. The 28-year-old Federowicz didn’t see any major league action last year after a four-year run with the Dodgers, but has been off to a hot start at the plate at Triple-A-.
- As Joe Maddon told reporters, including Patrick Mooney of CSNChicago.com, it wasn’t quite the right time to give top prospect Willson Contreras a shot at the major league level. Maddon cited his “overall development” as an imperative, particularly with only a short fill-in likely needed. “In your mind’s eye,” said Maddon, “if you’re putting this whole thing together, with a guy like Willson, you’re probably going to wait until the second half, hopefully, to get him involved here. Or the latter part of the season to really get him here (and) get his feet on the ground.”
- The Reds are on the verge of getting some much-needed rotation help, writes MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon. Right-handers Homer Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani are each nearing the end of their minor league rehab assignments, as is left-hander John Lamb, who tossed eight innings in a rehab outing on Wednesday. Raisel Iglesias and Brandon Finnegan figure to remain in the rotation regardless, but Alfredo Simon and Jon Moscot could find themselves on the outside looking in, Sheldon notes. With righty Robert Stephenson and left-hander Cody Reed also on the precipice of MLB readiness, the Cincinnati starting unit could see a significant amount of turnover, which could have some positive trickle-down effects into what has been a dismal bullpen so far in 2016.
West Notes: Rockies, Garcia, Hill, Gray
The Rockies have already burned through much of their rotation depth, Nick Groke and Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post write. Injuries, poor performance, and roster pressures have conspired to leave the club scrambling for arms despite seemingly entering the year with plenty of volume (to go with plenty of questions, of course). It remains to be seen whether former top prospect Eddie Butler will get a crack at a starting gig, as he’s slated for pen duty initially, but he’ll be one of several arms that the Rockies will need to contribute if the club is to stay in contention.
Here’s more from out west:
- Dodgers right-hander Yimi Garcia still hasn’t picked up a baseball since landing on the disabled list with right biceps tendinitis this past weekend, tweets J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles News Group. While Garcia has yet to undergo an MRI, that’ll be the next step for him if he doesn’t improve in the relatively near future. The 25-year-old Garcia has a surrendered three runs through 8 1/3 innings this season, though he’s struck out just four batters after whiffing 68 men in 56 2/3 innings last season.
- The Athletics have been rewarded handsomely thus far for their roll of the dice on veteran journeyman Rich Hill, and ESPN.com’s David Schoenfield believes that Oakland will continue to receive good work from the lefty. As Schoenfield explains, Hill has continued to show elite swing-and-miss numbers with his fastball, which he pairs with a frequently used curve. Indeed, Hill has picked up right where he left off last year: though his walks have crept up a bit, he is striking out 12.8 batters per nine and inducing grounders on more than half of the balls put in play against him, with metrics supporting his 2.42 ERA in 26 frames.
- Meanwhile, ESPN.com’s Buster Olney wonders whether there could be a “perfect storm” that allows the Athletics to cash in on ace Sonny Gray. It’s looking like a seller’s market, both at the deadline and next winter, and Gray could stand out. It’s far from clear whether the A’s will have strong interest in striking a trade, of course, but it’s easy to imagine widespread demand. And as Olney notes, this summer could well prove a high-water mark for the righty’s value.
Braves Seeking To Trade For Draft Picks
The Braves have reached out to teams with competitive balance draft selections — the only kind that can be traded — in an attempt to bolster their number of draft choices and available bonus pool, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports (Twitter links). Atlanta is offering to take on bad contracts from other organizations to facilitate such arrangements.
It’s not exactly a new strategy for the Braves. Most recently, the club added a comp selection from the Marlins in last summer’s 13-player blockbuster and effectively purchased the recently-drafted Touki Toussaint from the Diamondbacks by taking over the contract of Bronson Arroyo. Before that, it added a 2015 comp pick in the Craig Kimbrel deal and got another from Arizona for young outfielder Victor Reyes.
With the club off to a miserable start, which more or less precludes any hope of contending in the present season, it isn’t surprising to learn that Atlanta is looking to pad its draft pool. Their current record has no bearing on the team’s draft assets this summer, of course, but it does suggest that the club will be going all-out to acquire young talent rather than holding or, especially, looking to add to the major league roster at the deadline.
The Braves currently are set to pick 3rd, 40th (via Miami), and 44th in the upcoming draft, and carry the fourth-most pool money. At present, the Padres have leapfrogged Atlanta in total bonus availability (by just under $500K) despite a lower draft position, which is due to San Diego’s supplemental first-round picks.
In terms of trade partners, the organization could conceivably try to add selections from the Reds (#35), Athletics (#37), Rockies (#38), Diamondbacks (#39), or Pirates (#41). Those choices range in value from just over $1.8MM on the high end, down to just over $1.5MM. Picks 71 through 77 can also be traded (excepting #74); they are controlled by the Padres, Indians, Twins, Brewers, Orioles, and Rays, respectively, and none is worth over $905.9K.
Of course, in many cases, Atlanta would be trying to pry draft resources from clubs that have just as much incentive as they do to preserve the ability to spend on amateur talent this summer. That’s certainly evident in the case of the Padres and also the Reds, who currently possess the highest bonus pool, but the Rockies (fifth), A’s (sixth), and Brewers (eighth) also sit in the top ten. Arizona could be positioned to be a draft pick seller again, but the club has already packaged most of its bad contracts with young talent in other swaps, and seemed determined not to part with this particular selection over the winter by signing a second qualifying offer-declining free agent.
AL East: Eovaldi, Blue Jays, Shaw, Sandoval
Right-hander Nathan Eovaldi lost a no-hitter in the seventh inning Wednesday after Nomar Mazara beat the Yankees‘ infield shift with a ball that would’ve been scooped up by a more traditional defensive alignment, but general manager Brian Cashman tells John Harper of the New York Daily News that he’s a steadfast believer in infield shifts. Cashman is dismissive of the the notion of abandoning infield shifts, likening the decision not to use them to playing hunches at the blackjack table. “It’d be like sitting next to the guy who’s hitting on 19,” said Cashman. “You’d be like, ‘dude, what are you doing?'” Cashman tells Harper that the Yankees have their own independent definitions for what constitutes a shift and adds that in some instances, the data can point to an 85 percent (or higher) likelihood of a ball being hit to a certain side of the field. “If a guy beats you on a 13 percent tendency, you tip your hat,” says the GM. Regardless of the results of that single batted ball, New York has to be pleased with what it’s seen from Eovaldi thus far. He’s running a 10.2 K/9 strikeout rate against just 1.8 BB/9, and his unexciting earned run average (4.38) has likely suffered in large part due to a somewhat unlucky 16.0% HR/FB rate.
Here’s more from the AL East:
- Blue Jays head trainer George Poulis provided a number of medical updates on injured players, writes MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm. Notably, Poulis said that second baseman Devon Travis, recovering from shoulder surgery, will begin taking at-bats in extended Spring Training games, though he’s not yet ready to play in the field. Travis, 25, underwent shoulder surgery in mid-November that was said to come with a 16- to- 20-week recovery period. It’s already been 23 weeks since his operation, so his rehab has apparently been slower than expected, but a return to taking at-bats in a game setting is nonetheless a positive first step. Poulis also provided updates on Franklin Morales, Aaron Loup, Bo Schultz and some others that have day-to-day maladies.
- Red Sox third baseman Travis Shaw is not only impressing on the stat sheet, he’s making believers of his teammates, Tim Britton of the Providence Journal writes. He’s not alone in that regard, either. Per GM Mike Hazen, the team’s younger players have “done a very good job of ingratiating themselves by understanding the game, knowing that they have to play hard day-in, day-out — and that’s what the veterans respect and expect day-in, day-out — and keeping their mouth shut and going about it until they earn their stripes.” It doesn’t hurt, of course, that Boston has several quality young performers, and Shaw is the latest. He is off to a .329/.410/.548 slash in 83 plate appearances, though a .423 BABIP likely reflects not only solid contact but also some good fortune.
- Of course, Shaw improbably beat out Pablo Sandoval for the Red Sox‘ starting third base job this spring, and the Panda has since gone onto the DL with a still-mysterious shoulder ailment. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com has the latest on his situation, including several notes about his original signing with Boston. Bradford notes that the Sox do not have any weight target requirement in place for Sandoval, and adds that the club has “been encouraged by his approach — and results — the last two weeks.”
MLBTR Live Chat: 4/28/16
Click here to read a transcript of today’s live chat with host Jeff Todd.
Reddick Not Aware Of Any Significant Extension Talks With A’s
Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick tells MLB.com’s Jon Morosi that he’s not aware of any substantive extension talks that took place between his agents, Seth and Sam Levinson of ACES, and the team during Spring Training.
That doesn’t mean no talks took place at all, though, as Reddick told his agents that he himself didn’t want to be involved in the process unless a deal became close. “I’ve told [my agents], ‘I don’t want to even get a phone call if we don’t think it’s the right deal for me,'” he said. “They understand that. They’re right on the same page with me. The A’s told me they still wanted me, and they want it to be at the right price, and that was obviously great to hear.” Reddick, though, is a free agent at season’s end, and the tight-budgeted A’s could very well have a hard time retaining him if he reaches the open market. Reddick was said to have placed an end-of-Spring-Training deadline on contract talks, though a report from late March indicated that talks could potentially continue into the season if they show “sufficient promise of completion.” That’s similar to the thinking we heard from Adrian Beltre‘s camp, and Beltre indeed agreed to a new two-year deal following Opening Day (despite having set an end-of-spring deadline himself).
Interestingly, Morosi focuses in on the fact that Reddick is a longtime favorite of Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, and Reddick himself confirmed as much. “[Epstein] told me he would never trade me, either,” Reddick tells Morosi. “Then he left — and I got traded [to Oakland, in December 2011]. I think I was Ben Cherington’s first or second move after he took over.” Morosi notes that Epstein was the Sox’ GM when Reddick was drafted and adds that it’s conceivable that Chicago could seek a corner outfielder this summer on the trade market following Kyle Schwarber‘s season-ending injury.
Of course, it should also be noted that it’s still rather early in the season, and the Athletics are sporting an 11-11 record in a tightly contested AL West. In order for a trade of Reddick to even be considered a plausible scenario, Oakland would have to fall behind in the standings by a fairly wide margin, as he’s an easy candidate to receive a qualifying offer following the year. Beyond that, the Cubs have Jorge Soler as an option to pick up the slack in Schwarber’s absence. While Soler is struggling at the moment, he’s also enjoying a career-best walk rate and a career-low strikeout rate; at least some portion of his struggles can be attributed to a .205 average on balls in play, though Soler’s line-drive and hard-contact rates are somewhat diminished this season. It’s certainly plausible that the former top prospect, still just 24 years of age, could turn things around at the plate in short order. Suffice it to say, quite a bit would need to transpire over the coming months for a trade scenario to play out.
The likelier scenario, as it stands, seems to me to be that Reddick rejects a qualifying offer and tests the open market in what will be a weak crop of free agents. He’ll play this season at age 29 and is off to a strong start, batting .282/.352/.474 with four homers (including the base hit he collected just minutes ago as I was writing this). With the exception of a down year in 2013, Reddick has been a decidedly above-average bat with the A’s, and he’s posted a cumulative .269/.328/.450 slash since the opening of the 2014 campaign. Those numbers, of course, are suppressed to some extent by the cavernous dimensions of O.Co Coliseum, and context-neutral stats like OPS+ and wRC+ feel that Reddick has been 16 to 18 percent better than the league average hitter. While he struggles against left-handed pitching, he’s a strong bat against righties with an excellent glove in right field, per Defensive Runs Saved (+51 for his career).
Those skills, combined with his age and the aforementioned thin crop of free agents landed Reddick sixth on the first installment of MLBTR’s 2017 free agent power rankings, with Tim Dierkes writing that Reddick could be a sneaky candidate for a $100MM contract. I’d agree with that assessment and may even be higher on his chances at that nine-figure threshold than Tim, assuming Reddick is able to approximate his 2015 production. Reddick is, in many regards, a similar player to Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon, though he’s three years older than Heyward and three years younger than Gordon. That skill set has proven to reward free agents handsomely, positioning Reddick for a hefty contract if he continues his recent success.
Follow Pro Football Rumors For The Latest NFL Draft News
It’s NFL Draft day! Whether you’re a hardcore football fan or more of a casual observer, the NFL Draft is a can’t-miss event. We encourage you to follow @pfrumors on Twitter for up-to-the-second updates on today’s madness. 
The Rams and Eagles are expected to take Jared Goff and Carson Wentz with the top two picks, but things are wide open after that point. Many view Ole Miss’ Laremy Tunsil as the best tackle in this year’s class, but the Chargers could go against the grain and take Notre Dame tackle Ronnie Stanley at No. 3. At No. 4, the Cowboys have long been linked to defensive back Jalen Ramsey (an FSU product, just like Deion Sanders), but Jerry Jones is said to be infatuated with Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. Beyond that, the Jaguars could shock some people by taking Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd at No. 5, the Ravens could trade down at No. 6, and no one is quite sure what the 49ers are thinking at No. 7. From there, the rest of the first round promises to be full of surprises and our latest mock draft has some bold predictions based off of informed speculation.
Of course, the draft can also spur teams to move established veterans. In the coming days, we could see the 49ers finally pull the trigger on a Colin Kaepernick deal with the Broncos. Meanwhile, quarterback Sam Bradford is mad at the Eagles for trading to get one of the top QBs in this year’s draft and is pushing hard for a trade.
So, what are you waiting for? Follow @pfrumors on Twitter and stay tuned to ProFootballRumors.com for all the latest NFL Draft news.