Edinson Volquez Suspended 50 Games for Violating PED Policy [Post #20]

[GoudaBrew]

Will Carroll has been tweeting about this a lot in the last few hours and has a small blurb up on BP. Link

 

I hate covering these but for over a month, I've been getting whispers

that there was a PED suspension being appealed. The process can be an

extensive one, involving hearings and testimony, as well as some

negotiation. There's no room to "plead down" on a positive test, so the

attack is usually on Christiane Ayotte and her Montreal lab. Yesterday, I

learned that a high-ranking baseball executive spoke off the record

about the suspension being announced. He said it was a pitcher, but I

couldn't get any solid confirmation of that fact by the time I posted on

Twitter. (And yes, I did feel some pressure to get this out, but I also

realized that by doing so, I was pretty much guaranteeing that someone

else would break the name first.) I feel very confident in my

information on this, but still have no idea about the name or the

substance (though it's not an amphetamine.)

Edit: Updated thread title --cc

[homer]

Fantasy owners everywhere await the news with baited breath...

[FVBrewerFan]

There's one Brewer I'm concerned about, and I sure hope I'm wrong. Not fair to him to even bring up his name, so don't even ask.

[crewcrazy]

Playing 20 questions at this point, and Craig Calcaterra has a few updates:

 

I could not confirm the player's identity, but my source tells me that it's a "semi-big" name, though not a "huge" name. I imagine that, once the name is revealed, we'll have more fun arguing about what being a "semi-big" player truly means than we will wondering why he was not a bigger name despite taking PEDs.

 

UPDATE II: I have learned that the player to be suspended is a National League pitcher.

 

UPDATE: I have learned that the PED suspension is NOT a New York player.

[Teatoe993]

Please be Suppan. Please be Suppan. Please be Suppan.

[BrewCrewForever]

NL pitcher? Please be Zambrano, Wainwright, Carpenter or Oswalt.

[Fatter than Joey]

Zambrano, Wainwright, Carpenter or Oswalt.

 

I don't think those guys qualify as "semi-big".

 

MLB dropped Cliff Lee's suspension, in other news.

[monty57]

Please be Suppan. Please be Suppan. Please be Suppan.

 

If PEDs can only get you up to 86 on the gun, then this whole steroids-era thing is vastly overstated :-)

[endaround]

Zambrano, Wainwright, Carpenter or Oswalt.

 

I don't think those guys qualify as "semi-big".

 

MLB dropped Cliff Lee's suspension, in other news.

I guess spending a month on the DL is enough

[sheethead]

There's one Brewer I'm concerned about, and I sure hope I'm wrong. Not fair to him to even bring up his name, so don't even ask.

LaTroy Hawkins? Come on, you knew someone was going to ask.

[BrewCrewForever]

Zambrano, Wainwright, Carpenter or Oswalt.

 

I don't think those guys qualify as "semi-big".

 

MLB dropped Cliff Lee's suspension, in other news.

I missed the "semi-big" part. They are more then semi so I guess it won't be any of them.

 

 

[homer]

I would really like some news confirming that this is not Gallardo because I think he might qualify as "semi big".

[craigharmann]

When do we find out?

[berniebrewer4life]

My Guesses:

 

Carlos Marmol

Adam Wainwright(he falls under semi big, imo)

Broxton

Matt Cain

[Warning Track Power]

Playing 20 questions at this point, and Craig Calcaterra has a few updates:

 

a "semi-big" name, though not a "huge" name.

Names off the top of my head that would fit that "semi-big". Keep in mind this has nothing to do with me suspecting they are on PEDs, just what I would deem semi-big:

 

Chad Billingsley

Jair Jurrjens

Ryan Dempster

Matt Cain

 

Basically a #2 or #3 starter. Or a #1 on a small market team AKA Yovani (gasp!)

 

Edit: Guess I shouldn't walk away from the computer after I had already pressed reply as two of my names have already been mentioned (Cain, Gallardo)

[BrewCrewForever]

Is Randy Wolf semi-big?

[JohnBriggs12]

I think Hawkins would qualify as a "semi-big" name as he's modeled enough uniforms to be pretty well known. I'll take a wild stab and say Ricky Nolasco.

[MJLiverock]

I'll guess Brad Penny, just because he is coming back from injury, is a little older, and still throws gas.

[NievesNoNO]

I thought Wolf as well. My other guesses are Harang, Milwood, and Moyer.

 

Edit: Guess Milwood won't work, missed the point about NL pitcher

[Gobias Industries]

I'll guess Brad Penny, just because he is coming back from injury, is a little older, and still throws gas.

That was my guess too.

[crewcrazy]

Per Jon Heyman's Twitter, it's Edinson Volquez.

[JoeHova]

That's a shame.

[burnzy24]

Maybe it is a Brewer. That would somewhat explain why the Brewers kept the entire Suppan/ Parra/ Narveson trio because Melvin knew that we might be needing another starting pitcher if the appeal was lost. Guess time will tell.

 

Edit: And as i wrote that it turned out I was wrong. Thankfully it was not Yo.

[GoudaBrew]

Since Volquez is on the 60 day DL, what would stop the Reds from activating before he's healthy so that his suspension would be up by the time he's fully healthy?

[Patrick425]

Since Volquez is on the 60 day DL, what would stop the Reds from activating before he's healthy so that his suspension would be up by the time he's fully healthy?

I was thinking the same thing, but I'm not sure that these suspensions are really meant to penalize the team as much as it is the player (and not getting paid). I'm guessing if they wanted to activate him early they could do that.