“First Offense, A Team Loses Two Wins”

Of all the terrible suggestions regarding MLB’s discipline of PED users, Troy Renck of the Denver Post has come up with the most ludicrous and illogical. He wants to deduct wins from teams when one of its players tests positive for banned substances. That idea suggests that a team should be punished because it somehow failed to properly police its players. Teams, of course, have no ability to test players for drugs. That’s handled by the commissioner’s office in conjunction with the MLBPA and the clubs themselves must remain passive in the execution of these tests. It’s a part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and can’t be defied in any way. From Renck:

“The Yankees are freed roughly $25 million of ARod’s salary. They can take that savings and stay under the $189 million luxury cap threshold. Or throw it at Tanaka. ARod has three years and $61 million left when he returns. I realize that’s a big amount, but the yankees, more than any other team, would be in position to eat it to make him go away. 

The Yankees get an advantage getting rid of a declining player’s contract for a season. That doesn’t seem fair… In regarding PED punishments, I’d like to see team penalties. First offense, a team loses two wins. Too often, a team gets the positive stats, then washes hands of players after PED test. Would a team sanction create a different view of roster construction?”

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