The fallout from Major League Baseball's Biogenesis investigation is reportedly ready to come down, and according to a report on ESPN, star players Ryan Braun and Alex Rodriguez and 20 other players will be handed suspensions.
T.J Quinn and Mike Fish from ESPN's outside the lines report:
Commissioner Bud Selig's office is expected to suspend Braun and Rodriguez, along with as many as 20 players sometime after next week's All-Star break, several sources told "Outside the Lines." As OTL reported, MLB started building cases against the players last month after Bosch agreed to cooperate with investigators.
According to the report, Braun refused to speak when Major League Baseball questioned them about their findings. Braun just returned from the disabled list yesterday and will make his first start tonight since being activated. According to MLB Network, Alex Rodriguez will meet with Major League Baseball officials Friday. He is currently on the disabled list and on a rehab assignment.
Yasmani Grandal of the San Diego Padres, Melky Cabrera, then of the San Francisco Giants, and Bartolo Colon of the Athletics all served 50-game suspensions related to a positive PED test that showed increased testosterone. All three players were linked to the Miami Biogenesis clinic.
Cabrera seemed to admit guilt directly relating to the clinic in a USA Today interview just last month:
"If they suspend me again, I think that would be a harsh punishment because I already served my sentence. But it's up to them. I believe I've already served my sentence, especially missing the playoffs. That's what hurt me the most.''
Cabrera's point is that he already served a suspension for PEDs from that particular clinic and should not be suspended a second time because he was already caught. That would lend validity to the other names in the documents if Cabrera's is verfied as correct.
No Phillies players have been linked to the clinic as of right now.
