Baker, Arroyo react to league-wide suspensions
CINCINNATI -- Reds manager Dusty Baker didn't want to say much regarding the suspensions levied to 13 players on Monday following Major League Baseball's Biogenesis investigation.
"I got a reaction," Baker said. "But it ain't going to do any good."
Twelve players received 50-game suspensions, while the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez was dealt a 211-game ban through the end of the 2014 season. Rodriguez was the only player to appeal his suspension, meaning he can play until a final decision is made. Brewers left fielder and Reds division foe Ryan Braun also previously accepted a 65-game suspension.
Baker did answer a couple questions about the issue, including whether he thought baseball was cleaner than it used to be.
"We thought it was clean the last time, am I right?" Baker said. "The world isn't clean. Baseball is part of the world."
Cincinnati right-hander Bronson Arroyo took a more optimistic approach when asked if the current punishments are appropriate and effective in deterring potential future users of performance-enhancing drugs.
"I think it is," Arroyo said. "I'd be very shocked if a guy sat 50 games and didn't get paid and came back and tried it again. I've seen guys on the disabled list just going absolutely bananas after 20 or 30 days without realizing how long of a stint actually is. Fifty games is a long time, and 100 games is just crazy long. I think it's good enough."
Arroyo said Monday was a good day for baseball in that it shows the league is cracking down on the use of PEDs. However, he said it's never enjoyable to see players suspended and hurting their teams, calling it one of the necessary evils in the game.
The most disappointing part of the suspensions and situation in general, according to Baker, is that players who were already some of the best in baseball found the need to illegally enhance their abilities.
"That's what's kind of sad," Baker said. "All that work that you did for free before you got to this is kind of not appreciated."