MLB Expected To Suspend A-Rod, Braun, Many Others After All-Star Break In Groundbreaking Case

Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, "along with as many as 20 players" will be suspended after the All-Star break for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug (PED) policy according to T.J. Quinn and Mike Fish of ESPN.com.

These suspensions will be groundbreaking in MLB's fight against PEDs. If they hold up under appeal, these penalties could prove to be the biggest deterrent yet against cheating.

Thanks to the cooperation of Tony Bosch, the founder of the Biogenesis anti-aging clinic, and others, MLB has found a way to punish players for using PEDs without any positive drug tests.

In the past, all players had to worry about was beating the drug tests. Now, if players want to cheat, they have to worry about whether they can trust the people supplying them with the drugs.

This move, which was expected, comes after Braun refused to answer questions about his connection to the Biogenesis clinic during a recent meeting with Major League Baseball.

Rodriguez has yet to meet with MLB officials.

The only question that remains at this point is how long the suspensions will be. According to the report, MLB is weighing whether or not to impose 100-game suspensions (the penalty for a second offense) on both ARod and Braun as the league would consider lying about their connection a separate offense from the use of performance-enhancing drugs.

If suspended for 100 games, Rodriguez would stand to lose as much $17.3 million in salary and Braun would lose as much as $6.2 million.