Aardsma apologizes to Peralta for PED tweet

JUPITER, Fla. -- David Aardsma had several introductions to make on Wednesday upon walking into the Cardinals' spring complex after signing a Minor League deal with the organization. There was one in particular, though, that he wanted to make right away.

Aardsma said he sought out Cardinals shortstop Jhonny Peralta so he could explain a pair of tweets he made from his account (@TheDA53) shortly after word leaked that the Cardinals were finalizing an agreement with Peralta on a four-year, $53 million agreement in November. Peralta was coming off a season in which he served a 50-game suspension for his connections to Biogenesis, an anti-aging clinic in Florida that allegedly supplied players with performance-enhancing drugs.

Aardsma tweeted the following on Nov. 23, 2013:

"Apparently getting suspended for PED's means you get a raise. What's stopping anyone from doing it? #weneedtomakeachange"

"I had 2 major surgeries in 5 months and made it back clean, nothing [ticks] me off more than guys that cheat and get raises for doing so."

On Wednesday, he explained himself to Peralta and apologized for the knee-jerk reaction.

"I made a point to talk to him and really find out about him," Aardsma said. "It seems from everything that I've heard that he's a great clubhouse guy, a good guy to be around.

"It was making a really quick comment without really thinking about it. ... I'm not the judge. I'm not the jury. And I shouldn't be the executioner, either. It's something I should have thought about a little bit more."

Aardsma said that Peralta was "very receptive" to the conversation.