BTBS Exclusive: the “Baseball Cop” tells his story

Dominguez told me that Biogenesis was the biggest case the young Department of Investigations had ever tackled. “At the time we had five senior investigators, and each one carried anywhere from 30-50 investigations at any one time. At the time, [because of Biogenesis,] we put those other investigations in the periphery.” At first, cooperation between the Department of Investigations and the DEA went well. Then the Miami New Times ran an explosive report that included Bosch’s client ledger, and suddenly MLB had a new PED scandal on its hands.

After the New Times report, “Bud Selig and Rob Manfred said they didn’t want to communicate with the DEA anymore,” Dominguez told me, adding that Selig and Manfred went so far as to monitor Department of Investigations phones to make sure that the unit didn’t cooperate with the DEA. “I couldn’t understand how they wanted us to turn our backs on a federal agency because they weren’t getting it done quickly enough,” Dominguez said. Later on, Dominguez found out that MLB had, through its labor department, hired private investigators to run their own investigation without the DEA’s involvement and without the participation or knowledge of the Department of Investigations, culminating in MLB suing Bosch, Alex Rodriguez suing MLB, a 211-game suspension (later reduced to 162 games) for Rodriguez, and a four-year prison sentence for Bosch (later reduced).

MLB warns sexual enhancers may include PEDs

Major League Baseball in a memo warned about the “very real risk” of over-the-counter sexual-enhancement pills after at least two players this year were suspended for performance-enhancing drugs and claimed the banned substances found in their urine came from the unregulated products, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.

The use of over-the-counter pills, which are often purchased at gas stations is prevalent among baseball players, according to multiple sources. It prompted the league to send out a memo on Monday that outlines the risk of consuming non-NSF-certified supplements.

The memo, obtained by ESPN, warns that “these products are often contaminated with prohibited and unsafe ingredients” and that players are subject to discipline even if they inadvertently ingested a banned substance.

Former No. 1 overall pick Tim Beckham suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug

Seattle Mariners utility man Tim Beckham, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 amateur draft, has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug, Major League Baseball announced Tuesday.

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The 80-game suspension will carry over into the 2020 season. Beckham will serve the first 48 games this year and the final 32 games next year. The Mariners signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million contract this past offseason and can retain him as an arbitration-eligible player next year.

Beckham, 29, opened the season as Seattle’s shortstop before settling into a utility role. He’s hit .237/.293/.461 with 15 home runs in 328 plate appearances while playing all four infield positions as well as left field. Beckham is a career .249/.302/.431 hitter with 63 home runs in parts of six MLB seasons.

Even before this happened, not exactly the career you’d want from a #1 draft pick, is it?

Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas suspended 80 games for positive PED test

Oakland Athletics starter Frankie Montas was suspended 80 games without pay by Major League Baseball after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. He can return in late September but is ineligible to pitch in the postseason.

The suspension comes on the heels of Thursday’s dramatic 5-4 win in which Matt Chapman hit a two-out, three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays to clinch Oakland’s fourth straight win. Montas started the game, allowing just one run on four hits in eight innings with nine strikeouts.

“I am deeply saddened to confirm that MLB recently notified me I have tested positive for Ostarine, a prohibited substance under MLB’s Joint Drug Agreement,” Montas said in a statement through the MLB Players Association. “