NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Spiked eggnog, presents under the tree and the Mitchell report. It should make for an interesting holiday season.
“Well, it ain’t Merry Christmas or Happy New Year for somebody,” new Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday.
It’s expected throughout baseball that former Sen. George Mitchell’s investigation of the use of performance-enhancing drugs in baseball will be released before Christmas, and that the names of current and former major-leaguers who have used steroids and human growth hormone will be included.
But the specter of a bombshell has barely made a ripple at the winter meetings here, though once the report is released, it’s likely to give baseball another black eye.
“I’ve not heard of a single instance where it’s been part of trade discussions or negotiations,” said Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski, one of the architects of the eight-player blockbuster that sent young stars Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins to the Tigers.
A number of agents and general managers said the same thing, even though teams who sign players this week could soon find out that their prized free-agent acquisitions face possible suspension by Major League Baseball for past use of banned substances.
“It hasn’t made a bit of difference. The money machine will just keep moving along,” said one agent, pointing out that a possible 10- to 15-day suspension of former Seattle outfielder Jose Guillen for his reported involvement in the purchase of steroids and human growth hormone didn’t deter Kansas City from signing him to a $36 million, three-year contract Tuesday. The San Francisco Chronicle reported last month that Guillen bought nearly $20,000 worth of steroids and human growth hormone from 2003-05.
Rockies general manager Dan O’Dowd has said teams must be diligent to make sure they aren’t investing in players who have a history of using banned substances.
“The only guys we’ve gone after wouldn’t be suspect,” he said. “You never know for sure, but we haven’t dealt with that issue very much.”
It has been reported that Los Angeles Angels outfielder Gary Matthews Jr. was sent human growth hormone in 2004 from a pharmacy being investigated for illegal distribution of performance-enhancing drugs. Matthews, who has denied using human growth hormone, met with Major League Baseball officials last month. Last week, the Angels signed free-agent center fielder Torii Hunter to a five-year, $90 million contract. Tony Reagins, the Angels’ first-year general manager, said Hunter’s signing was not linked to suspicions about Matthews, adding that he had no knowledge of Matthews possibly being suspended in 2008.
Wednesday, Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he was not sure if Major League Baseball should suspend players named in the Mitchell report.
“I don’t know how they are going to find out definitively and without a doubt that somebody was taking steroids, outside of a player admitting it or a positive test,” he said.
It’s clear, however, that managers want a resolution to the so-called steroid era.
“It think everybody wants to see a finality to it,” Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “We’ll get it out, and maybe we’ll get a little bit of that cloud from over our heads and get back to baseball. The goal is to make our game better and clean it up.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
