Should he refuse to strike a deal with league officials, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez could receive a lifetime ban from MLB starting this week, the New York Daily News reports. The punishment could be announced late Monday or Tuesday if the two sides fail to reach an agreement.
One scenario reportedly being discussed by Rodriguez's representatives and MLB would see the former MVP suspended without pay through the end of the 2014 season for his recent involvement with performance-enhancing drugs. Such a deal would cost A-Rod millions, but still allow him to receive the final $60 million he's owed from 2015-17.
However, Rodriguez doesn't appear willing to accept what MLB is offering him. Despite investigations by league officials yielding "voluminous evidence they believe would warrant lifetime banishment," the Daily News reports that the 38-year-old is "sticking to his story that he has done nothing wrong and was unwilling to cut a deal."
That's a potentially risky route for Rodriguez to take, as the Yankees currently owe him $100 million and a lifetime suspension would void that contract, but he seems determined to continue fighting for whatever is left of his reputation. His lawyer, David Cornwall, told Newsday's David Lennon that he expects to "be working toward an appeal" of the suspension.
Considering the volume of evidence MLB claims to have, winning an appeal seems difficult to expect, but this thing may ultimately end up in court if we don't hear about an agreement soon. Over at Pinstriped Bible, Yankees fans are already reflecting on Rodriguez and his time in New York.
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