Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera has been suspended 50 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, reports ESPN's Jorge Arangure (on Twitter). MLB has confirmed both the suspension and that substance was testosterone. The suspension takes effect immediately and will cost him the rest of the season.
"My positive test was the result of my use of a substance I should not have used," said Cabrera through a statement, courtesy of Hank Schulman of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Sulia). "I accept my suspension under the Joint Drug Program and will try to move on with my life. I am deeply sorry for my mistake and I apologize to my teammates, to the San Francisco Giants organization and to the fans for letting them down."
Cabrera, 28, was in the middle of a breakout season and is scheduled to hit free agency this coming winter. Both Melky and the team recently agreed to put contract extension talks on hold. Cabrera hit .346/.390/.516 with 11 homers in 501 plate appearances during his first season in San Francisco, earning him his first All-Star Game nomination.
Ryan Braun was suspended for a failed PED test this past offseason but successfully appealed and did not miss any games. Cabrera will not do the same based on his statement. He was set to hit the open market as one of the most coveted free agents available due to his age and production, but the suspension will surely impact his next contract, perhaps in a real big way.
Andrew Baggarly of CSNBayArea.com confirmed that Cabrera will be eligible to play in the postseason once his suspension is over (Twitter link). He would have to miss his team's first four games, however. The Giants are currently tied atop the NL West with the Dodgers at 64-53.
NOOOOO! WHY MELKY!
WOW…
I’m a Dodgers fan, but this is too bad really. Season over Giants.
i’m a dodgers fan. and last i saw the giants still have Posey hitting like he’s juicing too (not accusing – just saying he’s that good), huntern pence, and panda on top of a killer rotation. not over yet.
Yeah, when you lose one of your best players, it usually means the end of the season. Someone should tell Mariano Rivera and the Yankees.
Problem there is, the Yankees still have very good relievers in Robertson, Soriano, and even Rapada. The Giants are replacing a top 6 or 7 MVP candidate with Angel Pagan.
Yeah, I think he was getting a lot of good press, and would probably have ranked high in MVP voting. Personally, I was excited to see him hitting better, but he never bowled me over. Lots of singles, very few walks, and (although it’s a small sample size), his last month has been relatively average for his career line. I have always wondered whether he just got hot for a while, or was actually becoming a star player.
And of course, the Yankees have other good relievers. And on the flip side, no one player reforms an offense. Far far better individual players have been on equally adequate teams and not won it all (this Boston fan looks at Williams, Yaz, Rice, etc. as examples).
I just think it’s not quite “season over.” There’s still talent on that team (Posey, Sandoval, Cain, Vogelsong, etc.), and I think that even without Cabrera, they can be a factor in the NL West.
you’re right that this doesn’t doom the giants, but you’re arguing it the wrong way. relievers are not analogous to everyday players
My point was only that the Yankees lost their Hall of Fame closer, and are still owning their division. And while I agree, closers and outfielders are not analogous, I was only saying what you ultimately echoed, which is that losing one player does not mean doom and gloom.
That’s a damn shame. It really is.
Reporter: “Melky! What do you have to say about your recent PED suspension?”
Melky: “Thank you”.
Lol, I’m sure you’re referring to the All Star game. Reporter: “Melky, where’s your mom?” Melky: Thank you to the fans. Reporter: “Melky, where’s your grandmother?” Melky: I want to thank the fans. That was hilarious. I’m a Yankees fan, so I can assure you that he’s at least been in the U.S. since 2005 and he still can’t put 2 sentences together.
Anyone else remember that “I like-a da woman” video that surfaced a couple years back?
Yessir thats the reference!
Old Melky on the sauce. A lot has been made clear.
well as john sterling always says.. the melk-man always delivers !!! apparently he was delivering juiced to the moon on roids.
I was always taught that Melk did the body good? Little did I know it was really just testosterone shots?
They don’t call it doping for nothing.
Die big. Die strong. Dianabol.
Way to go, Melky.
The Dodgers just won the division.
They still have a lot of work to do, but at least they won’t be competing against a ringer.
Well, that explains a lot…
Well there goes the season..
I think he started in k.c. doing it but wasnt going to say anything because I would get lit up with negative feed back. He was a completely different player last year and this year. Kiss that huge pay raise good bye. He could he could have got an extension then slacked off and be paid like a king for five years
That’s the new American Dream.
I for sure think thats what he was going to do. He knew he would get caught at some point. But if he could just not get caught till his new contract then lay off the ped’s and let nature take its course
Oops
best comment on the entire thread.
now the melk man is the juice man
45 games to go. If the Giants make the playoffs, does that mean he can come back for the NLCS… if they make it that far?
I don’t see why that wouldn’t be the case. They’d have to add him to their roster of course and they’d have to decide if they want to plug a guy in who hasn’t had an AB since mid August, but I don’t see why they couldn’t.
MLB would probably approve some minor league rehab games if it wasn’t already August.
Yes they mentioned he can return in the playoffs if they make it to the NLCS of course
Holy crap that sucks for the Giants
Someone will stay pay him good money
At least he was doing something with the steroids. Freddy Galvis was hitting .230 on the juice, so kudos to him. Well, not really….
Freddy Galvis downvoted this
Looks like Melky got… spoiled
That would be awesome line if he was playing for a Florida team.
(•_•) oO(Looks like Melky…)
( •_•)>⌐■-■
(⌐■_■) oO(Got spoiled.)
YEAAAAAAHHHH!
No way! Is this for real??? I am so shocked if this is true! WOW! There goes their season if it is true! I guess he was doing more than just drinking “Melk.”Huh? LOL!
the melky mystery has been solved….it wasn’t a re-dedication to the game, it was a pending free agent doping to get a big payday.
Very disappointing to see a guy I thought was having a renaissance get busted for this. I bet the Giants are glad they didn’t ink him to an 8-figure contract last month now, though.
At least he fessed up to it. That’s more than some guys can say. *cough*McGwire*cough*Clemens*cough*
more than likely would have been able to void it
*cough*McGwire*cough*
Well, I guess I’m glad the Giants didn’t sign him to a huge extension. Still, this sucks for my favorite team and baseball in general.
Explains a lot and redemption for the yankees
And Braves…
and the braves
Even with the suspension, his shortened season will still look miles better than Jonathan Sanchez.
I love the timing. He’s suspended just two plate appearances short of being eligible for the batting title.
They will hypothetically add those PAs at end of season for placement purposes. He could still win.
What does that even mean?
EDIT: never mind, I understand now.
It means that if you come short of the required ABs they will add hitless ABs to finish you out. So Melky’s .346 = 159/459 will become .345 = 159/461
I absolutely LOVE the fact that MLB channel picked the SFG game to broadcast nationally (even in the TB Ray market) the day the suspension is announced.
Cabrerra sure picked a fine way to attempt to make some extra $$$ and going to be interesting the amount of posters here that attempt to clean up what he did, make various excuses that he is *1 bit* different than Bonds, Palmero, McGuire, ortiz, Arod, Ramirez..
The dude did something illegal and got busted. There ain’t any excuse applicable.
Cabrera*
there is one tiny difference between A-rod and all of those guys, A-rod was a clean hall of fame caliber players before he used, used for one season, had the same type of year he had while clean, stopped using and continued to be a great hitter, most of these guys were good not great or HOF type players before they used and fell off sharply after using, Also he owned up to it right away, didnt deny it, or anything or wait years/ months to say anything…Ortiz for example once said all players who use peds should be banned from baseball, yet he is still playing……
Also, using Testosterone isnt illegal, neither is USING steroids, its having steroids in your possession that is illegal.
And you know A-rod was clean how exactly?
What makes you think Rodriguez is clean, except for one year? The fact that he told the media that?
Admitting that you used for one year doesn’t at all mean that you’re honest about everything else. For all anyone knows, Rodriguez used for a decade, but admitting to one year in an effort to get the press off his back.
Pretty sure a-rod admitted to cheating for more than one year.
And by the way, Anybody know that Melky actually “trains” with A-Rod in the off-season?
He has 501 PA, that is the magic number
And he just qualified for batting title with 501 PAs, how Braunesque if he wins.
(assuming McCutcheon drops off)
Actually, you need 502.2 (3.1 * 162) to qualify, if I understand the rules correctly. (I guess they round down, so you need 502, making Melky one short)
Will hypothetically add PAs without hits. Could still win.
Ah, just read that. i wonder if they’ll flat-out DQ him…
Do they make asterisks that big?
Big blow to the Giants. Don’t think the Dodgers have the division locked up yet though. Giants and D-Backs are still solid teams.
The Melk’s gone sour.
Chill out, man. Let it brie. Lait off Melky for now
All of my likes, forever. Plus is that Hank Scorpio?
Don’t have a cow.
These posts are really cheesy.
I dairy you to keep it going.
I’m sooooooo sick of all this PED stuff and especially from Melky who I was always a fan of. From now on…consider me Lactose intolerant cause I can stand Melky anymore.
Melky was taking Test and not hitting homers? Come on man…curious to see what happens when he’s becomes a FA this offseason.
Melky goes from one of the worst players in the game in 2010 to one of the best players in the game by 2012, his contract walk year. Ha. He just lost a lot of money.
What do you think about being tested positive for steroids Melky?
Melky: thank you thank you
@Yankeeboy11
You as Yankees fan may appreciate this more than non Yanks fan. During his time in pinstripes, Melky and A-Rod grew close with Melky being mentored by Rodriguez. After the awful year he had in Atlanta, Melky sought out and worked with A-Rod during the off-season. A-Rod supposedly told him he needed to dedicate and focus on his profession, if he expected to be around.
A-Rod also emphasized that he needed to take better care of himself and to eat better. To help, A-Rod set him up with his nutritionist. I’m betting that as a Yankees fan, like me, you noticed that he was a whole lot trimmer at the AS Game, than during his time in Pin Stripes. Now I’m wondering if that nutritionist was one of A-Rod’s cousins?
Man, as a Yankee fan I’ve gotten to see Melky over the years and was very surprised by his play this year. Honestly, I never would have expected this type of season from him and I thought it was due to his reconditioning and better dedication.
This certainly puts a damper on it. And it was such a good story too…what a shame.
At least he manned up and admitted it.
After disputing it with MLB lol
I’m not sure admitting it after the fact is an endearing action, it is still dirty cheating.
owning up to it is a better term in my opinion. How many guys cheat? During the 80’s and 90’s all most all of them. Currently? Probably a good majority, some are probably using supplements there are not tests for yet. you cant look at guys like Stanton and trout etc and say they are not some how enhansed. that being said a ton of guys use peds or other banned substances. Most that get caught we never hear about, some get caught their names leaked and we forget about it, David Ortiz. But some times you get a guy who was using gets caught and owns up to it, which is rare. Most guys deny it, fight it, or shrug it off. There are even guys who say that anyone who used PEDs should be banned from baseball and when they get caught they are suddenly tight lipped, DAVID ORTIZ. Malky used, got caught, and owned up to it right away not 6 years later like A-rod, its wrong but its refreshing
but not A-rod right?
A-rod thinks he can make everything right if he wears a sweater vest.
Nicely put.
At least he didn’t blame the FedEx guy
no MVP votes for you Melky or should i call you Juicy.
You could say there was juice in his Melk.
Shoulda made the Giants sign an extension when you had a chance.
“Thanks you da fans.”
He just saved some team 4 years and 60 million in the future.
I think he would have gotten five or six years. Now he probably needs to take a one-year contract to show what he can do. The MelkMan is now the JuiceMan.
Sad day for Giants fans. All you can say is Cabrera played the system and he got caught. At least Cabrera has owned up to to it in his statement something that is rare when someone makes a mistake like this but with that said it still doesn’t make up for what he did.
What about Soriano? Aren’t the Giants desperate enough to get him? And isn’t Soriano desperate enough to waive his no-trade clause and play for a contender rather than being imminently phased into a bench role for a rebuilding team?
Soriano already said that he didn’t want to go to SF.
Who knows, maybe the last real chance to play in the playoffs in his career and the potential to get more ABs with Melky done for the season might appeal to him.
Since the Giants are currently tied with the Giants, as the article states, then they shouldn’t have to worry about losing him. Hard to miss the post-season when you are tied with yourself for the division lead.
The team could win both the division title and the wildcard berth so in theory they could end up playing themselves in the NLCS. I know the playoff rules changed this season…
Having to beat yourself in order to go to the World Series can’t be good for team morale…
Not sure how you meant that comment, but either way I think you are right.
Call the Red Sox about Cody Ross–he might clear waivers.
Spoiled milk.
Melky being Manny lol
Damn, beat me to it !
HeHe i think you guys should do the Poll again. How will the Dodgers finish? without a doubt in 1st
“The JuiceMan delivers!” just doesn’t have the same ring.
edit: What does the Giants’ outfield look like going forward?
Stop saying atleast he admitted it, he admit it after he was caught. He said he knew he was talking a substance he shouldn’t have taken therefore he did not admit it
You got that straight. Besides that admitting to cheating does not get anyone a brownie point let alone a pass, in my book anyway.
2 predictions, the Giants will not make it to the playoffs, this blow will hurt & Melky will not be a Giant next year or ever. Well maybe the Giants can still make it to the playoffs, Sandoval will hit 3rd and maybe Belt or Pill can play left field or they can sign Cody Ross. Im so disappointed in Melky. No wonder he was playing better than he ever did. I guess his coach was Barry Bonds.
I dunno, the Giants don’t seem to mind having guys who EVERYBODY knows are juicing… Barry, I’m looking at you!
The poor Royals had looked silly because of the Melky trade.
Now, the Giants are back to being offesively challenged again.
At least Melky admitted like Rainy Perez stated earlier here.
As for my two sense yes he admitted it, unlike some other player I am thinking of, but somehow can’t remember his name……hmmmm… who could it be?
As a side note, I hope no one from my Orioles is on this stuff!
One good thing is that Guthrie has done well in KC the last two games, he didn’t have anything directly to do with this, but they got him from the Sanchez trade.
I am happy for Guts and the Giants are lucky Melky has a conscience.
I think that’s why he backed out of the long term deal.
KC to send Frenchy to the Giants for some garlic fries!!!
I’m sorry, but any player who is caught knowingly using PED’s in the aftermath of the steroid scandal should receive a lifetime suspension. A player would have to be some kind of stupid to risk their future and the intregrity of the game.
why would you do that? thats an awful trade dude
This didnt come as a shock. A mediocre player who suddenly hits his potential just before free agency, and then signs a big contract, that he never comes close to living up to. Not sure if this has ever happened before.
Leche con salsa.
Fetchez La Vache?!?
dodgers are taking to division either way….
The Milks gone bad! – Dave Chappelle as Rick James.
I actually thought his progress was natural. He was saying how he quit drinking and started working out a lot harder [he sometimes looked out of shape in NY] and it’s not like his power shot through the roof.
Looking deeper though, his two best seasons prior to the last two were a .752 OPS.
My buddy pointed out the fact that Ron Burgundy knew all along… “Melk was a bad choice.”
hahaha, apparently Melky need to take a lesson from San Diego and “Stay Classy”
They were funny at first, but the puns are starting to get old. Especially when they’re the same three over and over.
You can’t just say this is all from steroids.. He never came close to hitting 350.. I’m sure his rededication helped too.
melking for the long ball!
I wonder how much doping is still going on? The PEDs are always one step in front of the tests. It’s not like the 90’s; people’s heads aren’t growing, but Melky for sure isn’t the last juicer. Even if by some miracle, Ryan Braun’s test was sabotaged, I wonder. I’m guessing 33% of players still PED. Too high? Too low?
Amphetamine usage was a poorly hidden secret not even 10 years ago. There is plenty being used right now – there’s just too much money in it to not use.
Victor Conte even said it at the Olympics, and I can’t completely dismiss it. There are designer steroids that can beat drug tests.
But a positive test for a drug like testosterone? I hope Melky Cabrera didn’t hope that he could get away with it…YIKES!
What is the Giants’ marketing department going to do with the warehouse full of “Melky” Milk Man hats?
This is NOT meant as a personal attack on Melky, because as a Yankees fan, I have a soft spot in my heart for the guy. But after the Braun incident and MLB’s increased vigilance and testing regarding PEDs, is ‘Stupid ‘, not the correct word to describe anyone who would use PED’s ?
One would think so. I think these continued suspensions are proving that it is still worth it to use PEDs, at least until the first suspension. If Melky could have scored a $40MM+ contract, it surely would have been worth the risk, wouldn’t it? You still get to play baseball after the suspension, so long as your natural ability is good enough. If you are heading into free agency, some must believe that the risk is worth it if you can increase that free agent contract exponentially as a result.
If someone knows better, please speak up, but if you’re suspended for using a banned substance, can’t the signing team just terminate the contract?
I don’t think so, unless it changed during the new CBA.
They don’t pay him during the suspension, but they can’t terminate the entire contract.
ex. Manny Ramirez didn’t get his Dodgers contract terminated post-suspension, and this was under the McCourt ownership and after the 2010 Dodgers were out of contention.
I do think Jason brings up a fair point. The changes steroids help you make to your body aren’t permanent, but they’re far easier to maintain than to create (it takes quite a while to lose muscle even if you stop working out).
So he gets busted 50 games and he certainly destroys this year’s free agent contract — but say he comes back with some team next year on a one-year deal, is he still a step ahead of where he was before he started using PEDs? Does he then land a bigger contract than he would have without PEDs, just one year and a black mark on his career later? Is that a worthwhile tradeoff for the risk?
I honestly don’t have answers to that. *I* don’t think I would do it because I am honest to a fault, but it’s something to consider.
With Melky Cabrera’s Suspecion for substance abuse, We need to move forward and I know that there are alot of Waiver Wire Guys who can help us.. Jeff Francour would be a good guy to have in the club house. Vernon Wells is definitely available and he can be a good addition.. One name that can help The SF Giants would be Chicago Cubs Outfielder David DeJesus. I know that Brian Sabean is looking out at waiver wire guys and a deal will be struck.
Did I miss the re-opening of Balco in the Bay Area?
I’m assuming this suspension allows Ryan Braun to re-claim his status as third highest vote getting outfielder in the NL All-Star game? At least he beat his rap.
I stated back before the all-star break that Braun was more deserving of an all-star start than Melky and the best retort that anyone could come up with…”at least Melky is legit.”
So much for that…
He is legit. He’s a legit fourth outfielder.
But, you know, Melky has only hit 11 homers so how much has juicing really helped him? Is he an incompetent juicer or maybe he was only trying to increase his manhood, not his slugging percentage.
His hit total is through the roof, man. He was a .267 hitter before last year.
PED’s increase bat speed too, and that isn’t solely defined as power.
Yup, and with that increase in bat speed, balls make it through the infield quicker, balls go further, potentially giving them a better chance of dropping for hits.
I doubt his success was due to the steroids…He only has 11 homers and I dont think that he gained all that batting average from taking testosterone.
Yeah.. I don’t know. All we can really go on is that he had a really significant surge in performance beginning last year. Was last year just improved fitness and focus and this year’s performance related to the testosterone?
I’m sure he hit the weights harder, took extra batting practice, got more serious about learning how to handle different pitches and have a better approach to each at bat. But it’s also looking like the renewed dedication to the game came with using testosterone along the way.
Melk and juice curdle.
“The Giants are currently tied atop the NL West with the Giants at 64-53.”
is that so?
last line of the story.
I knew it, I knew he wasn’t this good.
Mike Axisa, last sentence of article says Giants are tied with the Giants.
Melk with Juice is not a good idea
amazing drugs steroids. they turn a great player into a HOF calibur player like barry bonds… and they take a middling, struggle to stay in the majors player and make him an allstar like melky.
i’m still ticked about braun.. he was cleared on a technicality. to put it in perspective.. there’s a big difference between being found innocent of murder, or getting off due to the police misplacing evidence or not telling you, that you had the right to an attorney or some procedure.
it was never said braun didn’t cheat.. he got away without suspension due to the testers not following their procedures to the letter in his specimen’s collection. there’s a huge difference and i’ve been disappointed all season that more of a deal wasn’t made by braun by the media.
Nitpick: You are not found “innocent” of murder, you are found “not guilty.” The terminology was chosen specifically because nobody wants to imply necessarily that a person DIDN’T commit a crime, but rather that the prosecution did not meet its burden to prove it. (Yes, you’re actually supposed to let somebody off if you think they did it but don’t think the prosecution proved it beyond a reasonable doubt.)
The reality is Braun probably DID use some kind of PED but I’m not sure I agree with the implication that he should have to prove his innocence when the test that determined “guilt” was already mishandled.
Not to mention, Braun said from the beginning that his test was, to quote him, “bs,” while Melky admitted straight up that he used it knowingly…
no he didn’t. it just didn’t make national media until after melky had appealed.
And why is Braun still a brilliant player this year? Curious to hear your theory.
@sbmke
… His lab results haven’t come back yet?
When you stop using steroids, all that strength doesn’t go away. It’s not like a recreational drug where the effects are only felt for a short time after consumption.
If Braun did use, he’s still benefiting from what he retained.
Pretty sure Bonds was heading to the hall before he decided to juice up. The guy was a phenomenal talent.
that may be so… but he wouldnt be home run leader. and in my mind he isnt
Suddenly this is no longer baseball’s top story
Honestly, I’m not taking ANYTHING away from Felix’s perfect game–it’s an amazing achievement–but I still think this is a bigger story. Not necessarily even from Melky’s perspective, but because of the way it impacts playoff races.
Felix Hernandez – “Melky, how does it feel for me to steal the top story from you?”
Melky – “Thank you, thank you”
@MB923
LOL. That’s on the money!!
That Explains why he´s having great numbers
allstar game Karma
Another blow to the drug apologists who try to convince people that steroids dont greatly improve performance. Everyone was shocked how Cabrera went from terrible player to superstar seemingly overnight and now we know. This is why no roider should ever get into the Hall of Fame, without them they are nobody.
This also explains how certain players who are on the verge of being out
of baseball magically turn into 50 hr per season players (they just
haven’t been caught yet).
not only that, but go from being a .240 hitting to hitting .260 with 50+ HR then all of the sudden hitting 45 HR and hitting .300 the next year lol.
What player are you referring to? I can’t think of any within the last years that jumped that much
Do you believe hitters who cork their bat or pitchers who sandpaper a ball should be in the Hall of Fame?
Given that Cabrera’s only two quality seasons were last year with the Royals and this year with the Giants, I think that this will impact his next contract in a giant way.
That said, at least this isn’t the top story tonight, as King Felix threw a perfect game.
Juicy Cabrera?
Braves got the last laugh.
It goes to show that players who use PED’s are strongly favored by the fans. People loved Melky, A-Rod, Sosa, Bonds, McGwire, Braun (I didn’t inhale) when they did well. Who cheers for Bixler and Nava?
Shouldn’t be eligible for batting title. It would be interesting if the league took Melky’s WAR rating and took that many wins away from the Giants, too.
testosterone is steroids ?
Is it just me, or does anyone else find it strange that the Giants and Cabrera “agree to table extension talks” and then he gets suspended for PED usage?
I like going to a game and seeing a guy light up the radar gun at 100mph and then seeing a batter step in the box and hit a 500 foot bomb into the upper deck. Let them all use steroids.