Off-Season Continues With Bad News

Cabrera sidesteps hippos in his off-season training.

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Well here you have it folks. In an off-season where fans yearned for trades, free agent signings or any sort of news regarding the Padres,  has now turned the stagnant front office into a PR machine, answering questions about PED’s, lack of money being spent and complacency. How’s that for some juicy action.

Yesterday, Everth Cabrera and Faustino De Los Santos, who was claimed off waivers from Milwaukee Feb. 6, were listed on the client list of the now-closed Biogenesis of America, an anti-aging clinic in Florida under investigation by Major League Baseball for providing players with banned performance-enhancing drugs. This comes on the heels of Yasmani Grandal apologizing to his team for testing positive for PED’s received from the same clinic.

But not all is bad at Petco Park. Cabrera and De Los Santos names appearing on the client list does not prove use or possession (possession also constitutes a 50-game suspension) of PED’s therefore they may not be punished unless proof can be found. Bud Black met with both players and had different reactions after both meetings.

Cabrera met with Black twice, one of those meetings included Josh Byrnes. Black stated, “we’re satisfied with what we heard” and believes the issue serves as a minor distraction but “will resolve itself in a positive way.”

Cabrera also stated he is “surprised” and disappointed by the news of his name being reported. Black is a pretty straight shooter. I like the guy. I think most fans like him. In reading his comments about Cabrera, assuming everything Cabrera told him is true, I feel like Cabrera’s bigger concern will be getting his OBP up rather than dealing with this issue.

As for De Los Santos, I’m feeling way less optimistic. After Black spoke with him, he failed to comment on the meeting or its content. Maybe De Los Santos was straight with him and told him the bad news being suspected. Regardless, if he is suspended, our pitching depth is only taking a slight blow. If Cabrera is suspended, there are still enough resources with Gyorko, Forsythe and Amarista rotating at short and second base.

Steroids exist in all sports but the light shines the brightest in baseball. If MLB was really bothered by the usage, they wouldn’t apply a 50-game slap on the wrist to the convicted. If any sport wanted to rid its athletes of cheaters, they would apply lifetime bans for PED violations. Do that and see how many players will continue to buy illegal supplements from shady clinics.