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Every time we think that the Biogenesis story is dying down another bombshell drops. Apparently the founder of the now defunct anti-aging clinic Biogenesis, Tony Bosch, has agreed to cooperate with Major League Baseball in their ongoing investigation of Performance Enhancing Drug use linked to his former company. Both sides however are staying quiet about the possible Bosch-provided insight; at least for now. The league has been doing its due diligence for months in relation to this case and the further down the rabbit hole we go more damning evidence surfaces.
According to T.J. Quinn, Pedro Gomez, and Mike Fish of ESPN’s Outside the Lines, there are 20 different players facing suspensions due to their connection to the South Florida clinic. However, it is possible that with Bosch’s help that number could change. If you remember from previous articles there were players that were named directly in documents while others have apparently used code names. The impending suspensions, if they occur, could make this case the largest PED case in sports history.
Why would Bosch come forward to help Major League Baseball? It is all about the law suit or more specifically the dropping of a law suit that Major League Baseball had filed against him. A sworn statement is apparently all league officials are waiting for. Bosch will apparently be providing any and all data he has including phone records, documents and any other pertinent data. Also if criminal charges are raised against Bosch then his cooperation could be seen as a willingness to do right and lower any possible punishment or forgo an legal action at all.
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Image Courtesy of Corey Simpkin/NY Daily News
The short list of marquee players under investigation include Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Bartolo Colon, Nelson Cruz, Melky Cabrera, and Jesus Montero. Something not helping players attempting to deny the accusations are the already proven positive tests of Cabrera and Colon. Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun’s possible ties to Biogenesis are topics I have already discussed before. In fact, A-Rods ties are damning to his reputation and any shot he ever had at the Hall of Fame, slim as they might have been. Ryan Braun frankly got off on a technicality in 2012 (the apparent tainted sample) and just might be up against it this time if the information is proven to be credible. All players will have a chance to prove there was no wrongdoing but as the evidence mounts it is just getting harder for them to succeed.
Major League Baseball is so serious that they are apparently looking to hit the players with second offense penalties? How you ask? According to Quinn, Gomez and Fish of Outside the Lines:
“One source familiar with the case said the commissioner’s office might seek 100-game suspensions for Rodriguez, Braun and other players, the penalty for a second doping offense. The argument, the source said, is that the players’ connection to Bosch constitutes one offense, and previous statements to MLB officials denying any such connection or the use of PEDs constitute another. ”
In their hunt for information, Major League Baseball is not stopping at Bosch. They are still attempting to bring in Juan Carlos Nunez, an agent who is believed to have been the vessel to handle interaction between some players and Bosch. There are also two other former Biogenesis employees on the league’s radar. How will it all end? Right now we do not know, but the league is apparently doing its due diligence with this case and is not leaving a rock un-turned.
It is believed that once Bosch cooperates and with or without other help, Major League Baseball is prepared to take action sooner rather than later. Weeks not months is the timetable that can be expected in relation to league provided punishment for PED use. More will follow as the weeks unfold and we will make sure to break it down and lay down the impacts to the players and the league as a whole.