MLB All-Star MVP Suspended for Steroids

[j-a-m]

Selig just simply come out and declare that Cabrera is not eligible for the batting title. I can't see the downside to that.

The downside of that would be that it's an arbitray ruling after the fact; and it wouldn't be made to solve the issue, but rather to avoid negative press. The right decision for Selig would be put something like this in place for future seasons, but give Melky the batting title if he wins it this year, and live with the justified negative press.

[jazzcyclist]

Selig just simply come out and declare that Cabrera is not eligible for the batting title. I can't see the downside to that.

The downside of that would be that it's an arbitray ruling after the fact; and it wouldn't be made to solve the issue, but rather to avoid negative press. The right decision for Selig would be put something like this in place for future seasons, but give Melky the batting title if he wins it this year, and live with the justified negative press.

I agree with this, you can't make up rules after the fact. Shawne Merriman still got the sack title in 2006. The union would never stand for Cabrera being denied the batting crown.

[Conor Dary]

This, fortunately, opens a big can of worms for Selig. If you say the batting title doesn't count, what about home runs hit during a career? Pitching wins? What to do?????

[Dutra5]

Selig just simply come out and declare that Cabrera is not eligible for the batting title. I can't see the downside to that.

The downside of that would be that it's an arbitray ruling after the fact; and it wouldn't be made to solve the issue, but rather to avoid negative press. The right decision for Selig would be put something like this in place for future seasons, but give Melky the batting title if he wins it this year, and live with the justified negative press.

I agree with this, you can't make up rules after the fact. Shawne Merriman still got the sack title in 2006. The union would never stand for Cabrera being denied the batting crown.

While I agree with some of the points being made, does the union have any say on who wins the batting crown? Is that part of the CBA?

[jazzcyclist]

Selig should add to Cabrera's punishment after orchestrating such an elaborate lie after being caught redhanded.

The scheme began unfolding in July as Cabrera and his representatives scrambled to explain a spike in the former Yankee's testosterone levels. Cabrera associate Juan Nunez, described by the player's agents, Seth and Sam Levinson, as a "paid consultant" of their firm but not an "employee," is alleged to have paid $10,000 to acquire the phony website. The idea, apparently, was to lay a trail of digital breadcrumbs suggesting Cabrera had ordered a supplement that ended up causing the positive test, and to rely on a clause in the collectively bargained drug program that allows a player who has tested positive to attempt to prove he ingested a banned substance through no fault of his own.

"There was a product they said caused this positive," one source familiar with the case said of Cabrera's scheme. "Baseball figured out the ruse pretty quickly."

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseb ... -1.1139623

[freddie]

The 50 games costs Cabrera about $2 million in salary. Additionally this is a contract year for him so he likely just cost himself many millions more on a fat extension the Giants were working on. Not to mention the Giants lose one of their key players for the playoff drive. That's a decent penalty in most folk's books.

Good point. It's not really about the $2 million in salary lost this year. It's about the $30 to $50 million of guaranteed money that he stood to gain on next year's free agent market (his contract with the Giants was up at the end of the season). If you look at Cabrera's numbers last year with the Royals (305 ba, 201 hits, 18 hr), which were significantly better than his career norms, it seems likely that before last year he decided to juice to reap potentially huge financial gains on the open market. He rolled the dice and lost. Unfortunately, I believe that too many athletes are still willing to take the same chance in the hope of making big money in the future.

[einnod23]

To be honest, I had thought that "being out of New York" was the main factor in Melky's improvement. Yes, it went from .269 as a career Yankee to a whopping .346 as a Giant. But I thought of a lot of folk who flourished outside of the jungle of New York (see AJ Burnett's 15-4 in Pittsburgh this year!).

But I'm realizing the difference. Burnett, for all of his issues in New York, has quite a few seasons with double-digit wins. Melky only has the .305 in KC and .346 in San Fran to show. In New York, I thought Melky had the best center field arm in baseball, but no where near having a bat!

[EPelle]

What's in that Bay Area water?
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/eye-o ... -drug-test

[jazzcyclist]

With only a 50-game (2 months) suspension for first-time offenders abd no risk of having your guaranteed contract voided, is anyone surprised that baseball players continue to dope?

[Conor Dary]

With only a 50-game (2 months) suspension for first-time offenders abd no risk of having your guaranteed contract voided, is anyone surprised that baseball players continue to dope?

But they won't let you go to the Hall of Fame!

Seriously, you are right. By the way, I hear on ESPN that in some clubhouses these guys are claiming there are inspectors all the time, which I find hard to believe. With 30 teams, how many inspectors are there?

[bad hammy]

Cabrera voluntarily DQs out of the batting title: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/AP-s ... 884036.php

[j-a-m]

Cabrera voluntarily DQs out of the batting title: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/AP-s ... 884036.php

Good call by Melky Cabrera, avoiding more negative publicity, and also protecting the integrity of the game.

[cullman]

Melky Cabrera is coming to Toronto for the sum of 16 million for two years. We will see.

cman

[26mi235]

I saw a piece (Wall Street Journal?) about the players being traded to Toronto and the loss in net income due to the higher taxes in Canada. Not much for the smaller salaries, but a non-trivial (but not game-breaking) amount for the big ones. When negotiating a salary from scratch you can adjust but when traded, it just takes the listed salary to the other team.

[Dutra5]

I saw a piece (Wall Street Journal?) about the players being traded to Toronto and the loss in net income due to the higher taxes in Canada. Not much for the smaller salaries, but a non-trivial (but not game-breaking) amount for the big ones. When negotiating a salary from scratch you can adjust but when traded, it just takes the listed salary to the other team.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... lenews_wsj