Alex Rodriguiez is one of the greatest players in baseball history, but he will be framed differently from others due to his connections with steroids. And those connections are not going away.
According to a new report from the Miami New Times, Rodriguez was named by a new report about a man in south Florida who supplied performance-enhancing drugs to more than half a dozen major league players.
According to Yahoo Sports, Anthony Bosch, a self-styled biochemist seen frequently in Latin American baseball circles, distributed large amounts of human growth hormone, synthetic testosterone and other cocktails of PEDs to players who had been linked to steroids (Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera) and ones previously had not been linked, such as Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz.
According to the report, some of the players could be subject to a 50-game suspension, while three of Bosch's alleged clients - outfielder Cabrera, pitcher Bartolo Colon and catcher Yasmani Grandal - already have been caught and suspended by the league.
The new report comes at a bad time for Major League Baseball, as the league recently just moved on from the issues related to Cabrera, Colon as well as the positive test by 2011 MVP Ryan Braun. Carlos Ruiz of the Phillies also tested positive.
This will be a big setback for the league, especially with the Hall of Fame voting controversy that saw all the steroids connected players kept out this year with no one getting into the shrine.
Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds did not get close to what they needed to get into the Hall of Fame, while players like Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire have barely registered votes due to their past use.
The report offers information on each player and their records with the clinic.
According to Yahoo: The records of players' use, given to the New Times by a former employee at Bosch's Biogenesis clinic, are especially detailed in the cases of Rodriguez and Cabrera. Rodriguez, referred to as "Alex Rodriguez," "Alex Rod" or "Cacique," received HGH, testosterone cream and insulin-like growth factor, all banned under MLB's PED policy. He also was given "troches," a lozenge that has 15 percent testosterone, and other types of growth hormone, according to the report.
More from Jeff Passan: "Rodriguez's account was "paid through April 30th" of 2012, according to the records. Cruz, the slugging outfielder whom Bosch nicknamed "Mohamad," gave Bosch $4,000 in July 2012, the records said, for a regimen that included "troches."
Other players linked include Washington Nationals left-hander Gio Gonzalez to Bosch, though the five mentions of him in the records are less specific. While this is damning information, none of it is direct proof that Rodriguez was using.
The 38-year-old Rodriguez was linked to doctor Marc Philippon, who has had links to Anthony Galea, the Canada-based physician who secretly treated Rodriguez as he recovered from his 2009 operation.
Adding more intrigue to the situation, Rodriguez will be out of action until at least June or July after undergoing hip surgery in the offseason. General manager Brian Cashman said on the radio last week that Rodriguez is expected to be out for up to six months, but there is a chance he could end up missing the entire season.
"I think because [of] the serious nature of the surgery and the condition that he's trying to recover from, you know, there is that chance," Cashman said when asked if A-Rod might miss the whole season. "Best-case scenario, yeah, he should be back. Worst-case scenario is he won't be back or there might be something between."
The injury to Rodriguez's hip was found in November and likely was a main reason why the likely future Hall of Famer struggled during the postseason, going just 3-for-25 (.120) with 12 strikeouts against the Orioles and Tigers.
Many in the media speculated that the injury was caused by past steroids use, but his surgeon Dr. Brian Kelly quashed that idea.
"His hip was formed like that from the age of 15. It doesn't change its shape after that," Kelly said. "In that respect, this has nothing to do with performance-enhancing drugs."
According to MLB.com, the procedure will place an anchor into the top of the hip to reattach the torn labrum, the femoral head will be shaved to a rounder shape to provide greater range of motion, and cartilage damage will be repaired if possible. The last time Rodriguez had surgery on his hip, it was the opposite side and it was done by Vail, Colo.-based specialist Dr. Marc Philippon before the 2009 season.
"Dr. Kelly has got a great reputation," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "I have full confidence that between the operating physician and the patient, whose work ethic is legendary, that this will all work out over time."
Rodriguez had an awful run through the playoffs last season and was benched multiple times after hitting .120 with three hits in seven games and going 0-for-18 with 12 strikeouts during a stretch for the Yankees.
The perennial All-Star last underwent hip surgery in 2009, after which he helped carry the Yankees to a World Series championship. He hit .365, with six home runs and 18 RBIs in 15 games during that postseason and the Yankees are hoping this surgery will have a similar effect to that one did.
Rodriguez is one of the greatest home run hitters of all-time, but has been slowed in recent years due to age and injuries. He has 647 career home runs and has numerous incentives written into his contract that pay out bonuses if he makes it to the record of 762, which is held by Barry Bonds.
The third baseman admitted to taking steroids during his career in 2009, then proceeded to have a great regular season, hitting .286 with 30 home runs and 100 RBIs while leading the Yankees to the World Series. The past two seasons he has only hit 34 home runs in 221 combined games and has struck out 194 times.
The Yankees overcame a serious injury to Mariano Rivera last season, but the team had a high-priced player in Rafael Soriano waiting in the wings.
Brian Cashman signed Kevin Youkilis as a free agent to help with the loss of Rodriguez. Other options at third base include Jayson Nix, who played the majority of third base while Rodriguez was out last season, and also Eduardo Nunez, who has experience at third, but is more of a natural shortstop. The Yankees are also dealing with the major ankle injury to shortstop Derek Jeter, but all reports point to a full recovery and that he should be ready for opening day.
