Eric Hosmer takes a shot at the MLB regarding PED ban
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Photo credit: USA Today
A former World Series champion, argued that Major League Baseball's penalties for failed drug tests aren't severe enough to effectively deter players from using banned PEDs.
Eric Hosmer, who retired last year after playing for the Padres from 2018 until late 2022, recently stated that the MLB should significantly increase the financial penalty for players who fail a PED test.
Here's what Hosmer had to say regarding the subject on his "Diggin' Deep" Podcast.
«The only way that this game gets cleaned up and these guys don't risk 80-game suspensions for another couple years on the back end is to take away guaranteed money. You have to take it away.» -Hosmer
Tom Krasovic from The San Diego Union Tribune writes that Hosmer's proposal appears unlikely to gain traction when Major League Baseball and the players' union begin negotiations for a new labor agreement, with the current pact set to expire on December 1, 2026.
According to a source familiar with the union's stance on PED policy, suggestions like Hosmer's tend to resonate more with former players than with those still active in the league.
"But even if MLB power brokers disagree with Hosmer's proposal, they should take note when someone of Hosmer's experience speaks out. A first baseman who spent most of 13 seasons in the majors and won a World Series with the 2015 Kansas City Royals, Hosmer failed no PED tests in his career. He made in excess of $174 million." -Krasovic
Hosmer isn't satisfied with MLB's current policy of only docking a player's salary during the duration of their PED suspension, suggesting it doesn't go far enough to discourage the use of banned substances.
«If you tell me that I have $110 million on the line for these next three years and I could possibly lose that, I'm not even thinking (about risking a suspension). So for me, I think that's the only way to clean up the game in this way.» -Hosmer
Krasovic also writes that Hosmer's remarks came during a conversation last week surrounding the 80-game PED suspension handed to his friend and former Padres teammate, Jurickson Profar. MLB issued the suspension on March 31, shortly after Profar's Braves wrapped up their series at Petco Park.
"Hosmer said Profar's setback broke his heart, owing to Profar's support of him during Hosmer's tough times late in his Padres tenure." -Krasovic
Former MLB pitcher Peter Moylan pointed out that despite the suspension, Profar will still receive the majority of the $37 million the Braves committed to him.
A similar situation occurred with Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr., whose salaries following his 80-game suspension in 2022-23 remained fully guaranteed. Tatis Jr. claimed his positive test was the result of unknowingly ingesting a banned substance.
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