A-Rod calls MLB suspension 'a favor' and 2014 is 'a good year to rest'

Despite Alex Rodriguez's legal team fighting to get him back in pinstripes this season, the suspended New York Yankees third baseman sounds like a man ready to accept his fate and make the most of his banishment.

Rodriguez, speaking in Spanish at an appearance in Mexico, broke his silence when he spoke with the media Wednesday for the first time since Saturday when an independent arbitrator suspended him for the entire 2014 season, according to ESPN.

“I think that the year 2014 could be a big favor that [Major League Baseball has] done for me because I’ve been playing for 20 years without a timeout,” Rodriguez said. “I think 2014 is a good year to rest mentally and physically and prepare for the future and begin a new chapter in my life.”

Arbitrator Fredric Horowitz reduced Rodriguez’s 211-game ban, but still left him suspended for entire 2014 season — including the postseason — for using three banned performance-enhancing drugs and two incidents of obstructing the investigation. A-Rod's legal eagles responded by filing suits against MLB and the MLB Players’ Association to overturn his suspension.

ESPN aired a video of Rodriguez’s appearance early Thursday morning. In it, Rodriguez — in front of a backdrop promoting the recently opened Alex Rodriguez Energy Fitness Center in Mexico City — spoke in Spanish for about a minute and did not take questions.

Rodriguez said he’s received support, “not just from my Yankees teammates, but also players from other teams, retired players, Hall of Fame players and lots of good people, owners of other teams.”



The 38-year-old Rodriguez, whose representatives have said he intends to attend spring training, which he has the right to do, said he is already looking forward to the 2015 season.

“I have three years left on my contract starting in 2015 and I hope to play very well and finish my career in New York,” he said.

Rodriguez did not mention PEDs or his suspension directly, but did seem to address it.

“[To] tell the truth, it’s a very sad situation and we hope to get this out of every newspaper and start concentrating on all the good things that MLB is doing and the great things that young ballplayers are doing and move forward,” he said.

The key words there A-Rod — "young ballplayers."

A-Rod slammed with 162-game suspension: Report

The good news for Alex Rodriguez, he won't be serving a record 211-game suspension. On the flip side?  He'll still be on the shelf for for a full 162-game season— including any postseason games.

Independent arbitrator Fredric Horowitz ruled Saturday that the New York Yankees third baseman must serve a full-season, 162-game suspension for his involvement with Biogenesis. It’s a slight reduction from the initial 211-game suspension executed by Major League Baseball, but it’s still a strikeout for A-Rod.

And the largest performance-enhancing drug related suspension in MLB history.

Rodriguez addressed the suspension in a statement, though MLB had yet to confirm the ruling.

"The number of games sadly comes as no surprise, as the deck has been stacked against me from day one," the 38-year-old Rodriguez said in the statement.

"This is one man's decision, that was not put before a fair and impartial jury, does not involve me having failed a single drug test, is at odds with the facts and is inconsistent with the terms of the Joint Drug Agreement and the Basic Agreement, and relies on testimony and documents that would never have been allowed in any court in the United States because they are false and wholly unreliable. This injustice is MLB's first step toward abolishing guaranteed contracts in the 2016 bargaining round, instituting lifetime bans for single violations of drug policy, and further insulating its corrupt investigative program from any variety defense by accused players, or any variety of objective review."

Financially, this will cost A-Rod $25 million, and it gives the Yankees an opportunity to achieve their goal of getting their 2014 payroll under $189 million — and a better chance to sign Japanese free-agent pitcher Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees were said to be waiting for the ruling before adding another third baseman.

A-Rod's legal team has threatened to get an injunction from federal court, pushing off this punishment until his lawsuit against MLB has been seen through, but that represents a Hail Mary pass, as courts usually respect the rulings from binding arbitration hearings.

Alex Rodriguez says he'll continue to fight suspension in a statement. "No player should have to go through what I have been dealing with."
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 11, 2014

A defiant A-Rod concluded his statement with:

"I will continue to work hard to get back on the field and help the Yankees achieve the ultimate goal of winning another championship. I want to sincerely thank my family, all of my friends, and of course the fans and many of my fellow MLB players for the incredible support I received throughout this entire ordeal."

MLB suspensions likely to drop this week; A-Rod's could last until 2015: Report

Alex Rodriguez spent his birthday on the field of the Yankees’ minor league Tampa complex Saturday, taking small steps in yet another attempted comeback bid. You can probably guess what what the embattled New York Yankees third baseman was wishing for when he blew out the 38 candles.

After the fallout from Ryan Braun's sordid suspension, all indications lead to Major League Baseball announcing all of the suspensions in the Biogenesis case this week, including one that could keep A-Rod out the rest of this year and all of next season, according to The New York Post.

If it all goes according to MLB’s reported plan to announce the suspensions all 15-plus players facing sanctions in the performance-enhancing drug case, expect the hammer to drop hardest on the Yankees slugger. MLB went early — and somewhat easy — with Braun’s suspension because of his willingness to accept the penalty without appeal.

It is expected other players will do the same this week. To that end, Rodriguez’s representatives met with MLB officials in the past few days, reported The Post. It is believed A-Rod’s camp was trying to gain a better understanding of potential penalties. However, a member of Rodriguez’s team said yesterday it is “unequivocally untrue” that Rodriguez is seeking a settlement.