Major League Baseball has announced an 80-game suspension without pay for Astros right-hander David Paulino, who tested positive for Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance. It’s the first PED offense for Paulino, who won’t appeal the ban, tweets Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle. Paulino will miss the rest of the regular season and won’t be eligible to participate in the playoffs if Houston qualifies, which looks like a formality for a 54-27 club that leads the American League West by 13.5 games.
“We are disappointed in the news today regarding David Paulino,” general manager Jeff Luhnow said in a statement. “We hope this is a one-time incident and something David can learn from as he continues his career. The Astros will continue to fully support Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.”
The 23-year-old Paulino currently ranks as Baseball America‘s 67th-best prospect, a slight fall from his 51st-place standing after the 2016 season. He debuted at the major league level last year, albeit with only seven innings of work, and racked up six starts this season prior to his suspension. Paulino managed just a 6.52 ERA and a 30.1 percent ground-ball rate in 29 innings this year, but he did post impressive strikeout and walk rates (10.55 K/9 and 2.17 BB/9), and he induced infield pop-ups at an above-average clip (11.9 percent).
While Paulino wouldn’t have factored into a semi-healthy Astros rotation come playoff time, his loss is a blow to their depth at the very least. Houston is currently without three-fifths of its rotation in Dallas Keuchel, Charlie Morton and Collin McHugh, all of whom have missed significant time this year because of injuries. Lance McCullers and Joe Musgrove have also spent time on the disabled list this season, thus creating opportunities for the likes of Paulino and Brad Peacock.
With Morton on his way back, Paulino likely would have been leaving Houston’s starting group soon, but he could have continued his development in the big league bullpen or in Triple-A Fresno’s rotation. Further, it’s possible that Paulino would have served as a trade chip by this month’s deadline. As one of Houston’s top prospects, the team perhaps could have used Paulino in a package to reel in a more established big leaguer.
Luhnow rightly called Paulino an “important piece” earlier this season, but his off-field troubles are undoubtedly frustrating to the club. Paulino has now been subjected to discipline in back-to-back years. When Paulino was at Double-A last summer, the Astros issued him a suspension for unknown reasons, though Luhnow did note that Paulino didn’t do “anything major.” That’s not the case this time, however, and his season is over as a result.
Well shoot. This is one guy I was hoping Preller would target in trade talks for Brad Hand.
You’re dreaming of you think that trade had any chance of happening.
Well please tell us what absurd low package you think the padres should take for the astros to acquire hand
Well he’s not worth a #3 prospect. It’s only his second productive year out of 7, so let’s take a step back.
Andrew Miller netted the Red Sox a top 100 prospect in Eduardo Rodriguez when they shipped him to the Orioles for half a year. Miller, like Hand, had only been a full time reliever for a year and a half. Second productive season out of 7? He’s only been a full time reliever for 2 years. Before then he was a starter and swingman. Awful job thinking his previous 5 years mean something when looking at his role now.
Looking at recent trades of relievers
Chapman netted the Yankees Torres, Mckinney, Warren, Crawford- top 50 prospect for half a year
Miller with 2 years netted the Yankees Frazier, Sheffield, Heller, and Feyereisen- top 25 prospect for 2 years
Craig Kimbrel netted the Padres Margot, Allen, Guerra, and Asuaje- netted them two top 100 prospects for 3 years of Kimbrel
Will Smith netted the Brewers Phil Bickford and Andrew Susac- top 50 prospect for 3 and a half years of Smith
Ken Giles cost the Astros Velasquez, Eschelman, Appel, Oberholtzer, Arauz- two top 100 prospects for 5 years of Giles.
Two things are always true- Relief pitching is expensive and the more team control the more expensive it gets.
Hand has 2 more years of team control at a very affordable rate for every contender to afford.
If he’s not worth a top 3 prospect to the Astros the padres have no problem trading him to someone else with a better deal or holding on to him till the off season and trading him at the winter meetings. I mean the red sox, yankees, and indians all have prospects to trade for Hand too- not like the Astros have all the prospects in entire league and are the only team to need relief pitching.
If you don’t know by now the deal for Chapman was
Cubs
Chapman
Yankees
Torres
McKinney
The other two were throw ins. Warren wa horrible for the cubs. Crawford would have never.made the cubs ML team. Probably won’t for the Yankees either.
I don’t think it’s that unreasonable if it’s 1 for 1
This guy though the Padres should’ve gotten Tim Anderson for James Shields like last year
Sox were not trading tim anderson to anyone
i think i like tatis jr. better than Tim Anderson, and it wasn’t a 1 for 1.
On the flip-side, less SP depth in Houston could create an opportunity for the Pads to unload Richard or Cahill (if he can ever get off the DL) as back end starters.
That being said, there are way better options available and neither one of them would bring much of a return at this point.
That doesn’t make any sense at all… why would the Astros trade a good pitcher for an inferior pitcher?
So basically you’re asking, why would the Astros trade a young guy with a lot of potential who has an ERA of over 6 in the big leagues, and who just got hit with an 80 game PED suspension, for one of the better relief pitchers in baseball this year?
Oh yeah thats right, maybe its because they are trying to win the world series this year? Seems like you’re missing the whole concept of trading prospects for players who can help you win now.
Lmao savage
Wow. Just when we need the pitchers more now then ever.
I’m glad we won’t see him in the postseason…….what a bum
Too young to call a bum. Keuchel didn’t start off great. Did you call him a bum too?
Wow. Manfred getting caught up on his paperwork. What’s that like the 3rd PED suspension today?
This is the only one reported here, what were the other two?
80 means 2nd offense right? You have to be stupid to do it again and again
80 is first 162 is second
And then 3rd is forever I believe
*dramatic* pause
If you ask Jenrry Mejia, he’d tell you the whole thing was a conspiracy against him.
I hope Mejia accidentally taken it. Who is stupid enough to get caught for the same drug 3 times?
Mejia is.
He can still be included in a trade no? Obviously hurts his value a bit….
Yeah, but teams will be wary to trade for a guy whose performance was likely aided by illegal means.
his performance wasn’t aided at all sadly, if you get caught using peds, and still have an Era of 6.52, you should be ashamed
Ever looked at the Mitchell report? Mostly journeymen and worse. PEDs don’t really make much of a difference.
Imagine what it would’ve been without the PEDs…
Probably exactly the same. I doubt PEDs really have much of an effect on performance, honestly.
Than why take them?
players probably think that peds help them, little do they know that they probably don’t
Exactly, steroids don’t make you good on their own. You still need the skill. I bet Bonds and Arod would still be 2 of the best players ever if they would’ve played clean
Yah, I mean what kind of benefits could being stronger and being able to recover faster have for athletes?
Burn!
You can’t be serious.
Exactly
Seriously?
To recover from nagging injuries more quickly. A baseball season is a grind and by June everyone is hurting somewhere. The PEDs are basically a cheat so you don’t have to play as long hurt.
Yeah. Neifi Perez was a beast! And Jason Grimsley…don’t even get me started on his hall of fame career. And Bobby Estalella…I can still temember his massive 500-foot homers leaving the stadium.
Because athletes can be gullible? I go to the gym a lot and see bodybuilders taking all kinds of expensive nonsense from GNC.
Why?
Why do people drink Gatorade or energy drinks. Or remember a few years ago when every pitcher was wearing those magnetic necklaces although there was literally no proof they worked for anything? Tell an athlee he could get an edge somehow and he will.
Placebo effect. They might help a bit in recovery from injury, but anabolic steroids still require the athlete to do the work. Muscles don’t just pop out all over your body.
Dayum, the ‘stros be doping.
Dayum, and the rangers still won’t catch em
Dayum, hard to catch em when they’re doping.
Really? The player that just got busted has been awful for them.
haha ok Pads fan. u can go now. we’ll call when u matter again.
He must have not been a Rangers fan when Canseco, A-Rod, Juan Gonzalez, and Palmeiro played for them.
I’m still in awe of the number of players who still try to cheat after all these years.
I mean it’s still worth it for them. I’d take the 80 game suspension with a smile if I still got to keep the millions of dollars that I made.
Players don’t get paid while suspended.
But they do both before and after. On the business side of baseball one big contract can mean a lot more than a 10-12 year career bouncing between MLB and AAA.
Paulino, who is from a very poor area of an impoverished nation of DR, just made more money in 6 games in the majors than he would have made in several years in the minors at the AAA salary of $2200 per month. Even the top AAA players only make about $90k a year. Paulino made more than that. Steroids pay.
You suck!
The truth sucks? Sorry if you feel that way.
It’s worth it. Just ask Dee Gordon. And the odds are against them being caught for PED use.
How are the odds against them? These players are tested 5 times in-season, two times in the offseason, and some players are tested more frequently.
Well
Sucks for the astros
If like to know when he was tested. Any games in which he pitched since the test should be forfeited.
He was pitching. That is enough of a penalty since he put up a 6.52 ERA.
Good luck re-writing all of history.
Dear Houston Astros,
Can I interest you in a slightly used Justin Verlander?
Sincerely,
Al Avila
How much are you paying down?
Another Dominican ofcourse.
PEDs stand for performance enhancing, correct????
That acronym was created by the media, not by chemists. So yes according to journalists, these drugs do enhance performance significantly.
It was created by WADA. The World Anti Doping Agency.
I was being sarcastic….. look at his stats. If those numbers are enhanced, that’s very sad.
I’d like to know what the drug is designed to do and how it was acquired?
You can buy some of these things at your average GNC. Andrestenedione, for example, is available in a pill there. There are asthma medications that contain steroids along with some anti-inflammatory medications that contain steroids.
So, he loses half a season for something I could buy at a GNC?
Yes
evolutionary.org/equipoise-boldenone-undecylenate
It is a drug that is prescribed for Veterinary use. It is only available with a prescription. It builds mass and decreases recovery time.
Yah but that probably doesn’t make any difference
*sarcasm*
Knowning what is ok
What isn’t ok
And we all know they read everything that take to not cross that line
Being legit
Instead of these bans
The owners and the players association need to link up and make it so that if a player pops on drugs he can never make more than league avg again
If he is under a current contract that is voided
Why don’t GMs get that wording in the contract ?
Likely MLBPA “protecting” the players.
I’m sure that’d be quite the incentive to not cheat though.
in october they will get knocked out quick if they dont address the rotation.
Their offense is more than good enough to carry that pitching staff if they are all healthy. Not debatabale. Keuchel mccullers mchugh morton would be a fine 1-4
Taking steroids when you are a borderline MLB player is a no brainer. Paulino made more money in 6 games in the majors than he would have made in a year in the minors at $2200 per month AAA salary.
There’s more to a decision that money
*than
Like?
He has already had some MLB service time, so even if he goes back down to the minors after his suspension is served he has MLB medical benefits, MLB pension, and he is on the 40 man roster so he makes more money and, this is the big and, he cannot be dropped back down to the AAA base salary of $2200 per month no matter what. He will be one of those guys making $90k a year in the minors. He goes from $2200 per month in the minors to a month in the majors making $150k for the month and then when he goes back down to the minors after the suspension he will be making $15k per month there. A 700% raise. Steroids pay and they pay well.
No matter what he does from this point on he has big time benefits from taking steroids since he made it to the MLB squad for a short time this year.
It’s well worth the risk for young players that are on the verge of the majors.
That’s an interesting take. So often, the league just labels these guys as cheaters and doesn’t say much else. Hard to criticize a go for going for that money. I wish he hadn’t done it, but it makes sense unfortunately.
What about their long term health? You call,people abuser apologists but you’re a cheater apologist!
another Dominican busted for PED what a surprise…
When will these guys learn…
I am startled that you can earn 9000_bucks
in 1 month on the internet .
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