MLB, Union agree to tighten steroid rules

[Balta1701]

MLB and the MLBPA appear to have come to an agreement on a tighter steroid testing policy right in the middle of an active CBA. If this is accurate they should be commended.

The new agreement between the MLB and the Players Association creates even harsher penalties for those players who violate the Joint Drug Program: A first suspension increases from 50 games to 80 and a second one from 100 to 162. A third positive still results in permanent suspension. Further, if you're suspended during the season you're ineligible to play in the postseason, even if your suspension has elapsed.

 

By agreeing to the rules and these expanded penalties, the players have made it even more clear that they want the game cleaned up and kept clean. No more Ryan Brauns, no more Jhonny Peraltas and definitely no more Alex Rodriguezes (one A-Rod is undoubtedly enough). In theory, tougher penalties will curb PED usage, although that's purely speculative; we don't really know how many players are using now and how many are getting away with it. In a recent ESPN The Magazine survey of major leaguers, one player suggested PED use is next to zero while another estimated 20 percent of players are still using. So even the players aren't exactly sure what's going on, let alone how many players are currently skirting pass the drug tests.

 

Why the urgency for players to want changes? There was a lot of negative reaction from players when Peralta, coming off a PED suspension with the Tigers, signed a four-year, $53 million contract with the Cardinals this offseason. What penalty did Peralta pay? He missed 50 games, but he still played in the postseason with Detroit and then got a fat contract from the Cardinals.

 

Of course, these new rules won't necessarily change that potential outcome, although there is now greater risk for those teams who sign a player who has previously been suspended.

 

Aside from the lengths of the suspensions, modifications include more in-season random urine collections (from 1,400 to 3,200) in addition to the 1,200 mandatory collections from players on the 40-man major league roster during spring training and 1,200 more during the season. In theory, this will make it more difficult to beat the drug testers. More testing means that, during the season, anybody using will be rolling the dice because they're at that much more risk of being caught. There will also be more blood tests for Human Growth Hormone. The two sides also agreed to add DHEA -- an endogenous steroid hormone found in supplements and widely available -- to the list of banned substances, although with less stringent penalties (follow-up testing for a first violation, 25-game suspension for a second violation, 80 games for a third and permanent suspension for a fourth).

The one thing the new modifications don't account for is the high percentage of MLB players allowed to use ADD medication. Last season, 119 players were granted Therapeutic Use Exemptions (or TUE) for Attention Deficit Disorder and allowed to use medication that basically acts as a stimulant. Stimulants are banned in the JDE if you're not granted a TUE. That 119 total was approximately 14 percent of the players on Opening Day rosters or disabled lists. The percentage of adults ages 18 to 44 with ADD or ADHD is estimated at 4.4 percent, so it seems fairly clear that MLB players are abusing this loophole.

[Jake]

I wonder if the ADD prescription abuse is as bad as the 14% versus 4.4% suggests, though.

 

For one, ADHD occurs more often in men, at least in such a way that it is likely to be diagnosed. From there, you have to wonder if something about baseball/athletics is more likely to attract people with ADHD.

[Hatchetman]

do baseball players have to sit still and be quiet for extended periods of time?

[cabiness42]

do baseball players have to sit still and be quiet for extended periods of time?

 

If you're the Astros closer, yes.