Arod's Plea Deal

With lawyers aware of what the MLB has against Alex Rodriguez and his steroid use, reports are saying that they are working on a possible plea deal to try and reduce a looming drug suspension. The NY Daily News reports that a 150-game suspension might be the best that could be expected for Arod. Sources also told the Daily News that after his meeting with MLB ended on Friday, he was "clearly shaken" and with with union repos to discuss what had been outlined. Arod then failed to show up at the Yankee complex for his rehab assignment.

It is believed that baseball has strong evidence, including testimony from Biogenises' Anthony Bosch. A source said that rather than going for the entire career, a long suspension may be the target of the league.

"Among the drugs Rodriguez may have acquired, according to published accounts of Bosch’s records, are testosterone cream; IGF-1, a banned substance in baseball that stimulates insulin production and muscle growth; “troches,” a type of drug lozenge that includes 15% testosterone; pink cream, which Bosch wrote is a complex formula that also includes testosterone and growth hormone; and “Sub-Q,” referred to a mixture of HGH, IGF-1 and other drugs. Bosch is sure to have been discussing those records with MLB."

Personally, this is far less disappointing than the Braun situation. Arod played through the steroid era and it comes as no surprise he participated in this, especially since the signs have pointed to it for years. When he came up, he had all the talent to be a hall of fame player. But he got greedy, and now he may never get in, because of the decisions he made.

Nothing like steroid talk to be a topic at yet another All-Star Game.

More disastrous MLB contracts

The baseball world has seen bad contract after bad contract sign over there years. Whether it be Arod, Mike Hampton, or Alfonso Soriano, the huge money and long contracts being shelled out by General Managers to acquire star power has continued to plague franchises and handcuff their spending capabilities for years. Take the Cubs for example. Soriano signed and the Cubs have not been able to put much around him as Theo Epstein is now dwindling down payroll as he prepares a complete rebuild.

Albert Pujols

Today's stars are being grown in the minor leagues, and the teams that are finding success are those who are growing their own players. Look at the Yankees of the past when they were dominant- it was because they brought up their own guys such as Jeter, Posada and Rivera. More recently it is Cano. Even their big free agent spending can be overshadowed by the players they grew on their own.

The Angels seemed to do this for quite some time, but as of late, they have acquired massive contract after massive contract and it is simply not working for them. Last year Albert Pujols struggled mightily. This year he still isn't the machine that we had come to expect. In addition, Josh Hamilton was signed this past offseason and is having a miserable year at the plate. I am not suggesting every team is going to have a Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg combination to bring up, and the Angels brought up their own budding star in Trout, but how have these hundreds of millions of dollars handcuffed the Angels as we move forward? What if they can't pay Trout what he is going to want? I'm sure they can, but how do they keep him happy with the best possible players, when the team is so invested in two aging stars who appear to have left their prime?

Go ahead, tell me it is only May and that I need to lay off the Angels. You may be right. But with no salary cap and this continuing trend of mega contracts, teams are going to continue to bury themselves into contract hell.