Major League Baseball announced this afternoon that three players — relievers Richard Rodriguezservice provider Danny Santana and infielders Jose Rondon – were each banned for 80 games after testing positive for the performance-enhancing drug boldenone. All three are currently free agents. PED testing had been suspended during the lockout, but Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond reports (On twitter) that the trio tested positive before the work stoppage.
Rodríguez was one of the better-known remaining free agents, and today’s suspension sheds some light on why he hasn’t signed yet. The 32-year-old isn’t far from being an excellent late-game option for the Pirates. In three and a half seasons at Pittsburgh, he posted a 2.98 ERA in 196 1/3 innings of relief. Along the way, he knocked out a strong 27.2% of batters while walking just 6.5% of opponents.
The rebuilding Bucs traded Rodríguez to the Braves at the close of trading last summer. At the end of the year, the performance of the 32-year-old collapsed. While posting a respectable 3.12 ERA as a Brave in 26 innings, he rounded six homers and hit just nine batters in that time. Atlanta didn’t write out Rodríguez at the end of the year. The Pirates have been reported to be interested in a December reunion, but it stands to reason that the failed PED test put a damper on that pursuit.
Santana, 31, has appeared in each of the majors for the past eight seasons. Known for his speed and defensive versatility, Switch hit Santana has had some solid performances on the record, but overall has an ascending and descending track record. He’s had a tough year in which he’s hit just .181/.252/.345 with the Red Sox in 38 games with five homers and four steals.
Rondón has played in parts of four seasons and never racked up more than 157 record appearances in a year. A right-handed hitting utility infielder, he owns a .216/.274/.353 slash in 380 career trips to the dish. Rondón had a respectable .263/.322/.413 in limited play with the Cardinals last season, but St. Louis didn’t offer it in November.