Vote: Which MLB Player's Inclusion in Miami New Times PED Report Surprises You Most?

Vote: Which MLB Player’s Inclusion in Miami New Times PED Report Surprises You Most?

by NESN Staff on Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 1:42PM

It might be January, but the baseball world is buzzing. Unfortunately, it’s for all the wrong reasons.

The Miami New Times published a story on Tuesday that stemmed from a three-month investigation. According to the report, a batch of records obtained from an anti-aging clinic in South Florida includes the names of a number of prominent MLB players and includes details that link those players to banned substances.

The Miami New Times reportedly obtained patient files, payment records and handwritten notebooks kept by the clinic’s chief, 49-year-old Anthony Bosch, and the records are reportedly clear in describing that the firm sold performance-enhancing drugs, including human growth hormone (HGH), testosterone and anabolic steroids.

Among the players listed are Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera, Nelson Cruz, Gio Gonzalez, Bartolo Colon and Yasmani Grandal. The number of times each player appears in the report varies, and the exact details surrounding each player differ, but it’s definitely surprising to see these names pop up in conjunction with an alleged PED dealer.

Rodriguez, Cabrera, Colon and Grandal have been linked to banned substances in the past, whereas this is the first time Cruz and Gonzalez have seen their names come up in a scenario like this. Even the players whose names have had PEDs attached to them in the past come as a little bit of a surprise, though, as one would like to think that a brush with the league would send them down the right path. Rodriguez, for example, admitted in 2009 to taking banned substances, but he claimed that he only did so during a three-year period between 2001 and 2003, when he was a member of the Texas Rangers.

These six players joined a couple of other less recognizable athletes on the list obtained by the Miami New Times, and the fallout could be huge. Yahoo! Sports reports that some of the players listed could be subject to a 50-game suspension for a violation of the league’s PED policy, and this whole debacle could eventually turn into a BALCO-like scandal.

All parties are obviously innocent until proven guilty, but which player’s inclusion in the report surprised you the most?