Alex Rodriguez remains upbeat and prepared to fight for his career if Major League Baseball issues a lengthy suspension in a doping probe, a source close to the Yankees third baseman said on Wednesday.
Suspensions for Rodriguez and others could be announced by Friday.
"I don't think Alex Rodriguez is riding off into the sunset," the source said. "Obviously, everybody knew something was coming. The game plan for him has always been the same," referring to an appeal. "Alex did not fail a drug test."
Rodriguez, 38, apparently has not deviated from the position taken by his lawyer, David Cornwell, who earlier this week said in an ESPN interview that an appeal would follow any action levied by MLB, which has linked Rodriguez and other players to allegedly receiving performance-enhancing drugs from Biogenesis, a now-closed anti-ageing clinic in Miami.
MLB officials met with the Major League Baseball Players Association on Tuesday and informed them of their intent to discipline an unknown number of players. A source said several of those cited by MLB are expected to agree to disciplinary action without going through the appeal process.
"Things were laid out, punishments were threatened," the source said. "Ultimately, what will be announced and meted out has been negotiated to the best of the bargaining parties' ability."
Rodriguez, who has not played this season after having hip surgery in January, is reportedly facing a 100-game suspension to lifetime ban. There is also the possibility of commissioner Bud Selig invoking the so-called "best interests of baseball" clause in the collective bargaining agreement, which would keep Rodriguez sidelined during the grievance process.
NBC reported on Wednesday that Rodriguez will face a lifetime ban from MLB if a settlement cannot be reached.
Despite published reports claiming MLB has significant evidence against Rodriguez, Cornwell said during the radio interview that there have been no discussions of a deal.
"Where is the voluminous evidence?" the source close to Rodriguez said. "No one has seen it. Others are getting 50-game suspensions and they want to give Alex life?"
Barring a last-minute deal, Rodriguez is expected to let baseball arbitrator Fredric Horowitz decide his fate.
"He's prepared to roll the dice," the source said. "That begs the question, 'Are you rolling the dice because you are innocent or because you are stupid?' I can't imagine he's rolling the dice because he's stupid.
"He didn't have to go through any of this, this year. He could have walked away in April and gotten paid. He had a very bad hip injury. If he wanted to play it out it wouldn't have been a charade ... Why go through all this? Because he wants to play. He's got something to prove. If he's not guilty and he walks away with $100 million (by claiming disability) everyone thinks he's guilty. He's not going to be happy. Nobody would."
But Rodriguez is ready to face whatever lies ahead, the source said.
"He's been through a lot over the last 15 years, a lot of it through some fault of his own, that he would admit," the source said. "A lot of it not through fault of his own. He's got a lot of good in him that people don't know about."
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said during a conference call after the trade deadline passed Wednesday that the plan is for Rodriguez to play in a simulated game in Tampa on Thursday. Cashman wouldn't say where Rodriguez would be Friday but said the team is hopeful of having him back soon.
"We have a plan in place with Alex that's been agreed to, so we have a schedule," said Cashman, who declined to discuss the Biogenesis probe and directed all questions to MLB. "We're also going to be checking the weather and all that stuff, too. But I'm not going to say where it is at this stage yet. I'll just take it one day at a time."
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