Brian Cashman says he didn't have any knowledge that Robinson Cano was doping during his days as a Yankee.
But the GM did seem to suggest that he had his suspicions.
"I would have no knowledge, and if I did have knowledge I would be compelled to tell baseball about it or I'd risk a million dollar or more fine. ... [P]art of Major League Baseball's initiatives is if I have any knowledge of anybody past or present I'm obligated to convey that knowledge to Major League Baseball, and I take that seriously. And so knowledge is one thing, suspicion is another."
Later when asked to clarify what he meant by "suspicion," Cashman walked back his stance a bit, saying he was speaking in generalities.
"I never suggested I had suspicions of Cano," he said. ...
Adding to the suspicion is Cano's two best Bronx buddies, Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera, who both served doping suspensions.
Cano was banned for using Furosemide, a diuretic that is often used to mask PED use.
[T]he Yankees offered many explanations for why they never went all-out to retain Robinson Cano as a free agent following 2013 ...
But one reason — the one not broadcast — was that Melky Cabrera and Alex Rodriguez already had been suspended for their association with illegal performance-enhancing drugs. And those were Cano's best friends on the Yankees. And while no one can be found guilty by association, the Yanks were apprehensive enough about the tightness of that group to wonder if Cano would ever be the next domino to fall.
He now is. ...
Cano said [Furosemide] was given to him by a licensed doctor in his native Dominican Republic for "a medical ailment" that he does not specify. ...
Cano never disputed taking the substance or that the substance is banned, only why it was in his body, and neither the Independent Program Administrator nor MLB believed his story.
Fair or not, it always felt like merely a matter of time before Robinson Cano wound up getting busted for PED use — and likely costing himself future election to the Hall of Fame.
His close friend, Melky Cabrera, and his mentor, Alex Rodriguez, each served suspensions in years past for PED use, and the name of a spokeswoman for his charity foundation, Sonia Cruz, showed up on infamous list of Biogenesis Clinic clients list back in 2013.
None of that meant Cano should have been judged guilty by association, but it was hard not to think those connections were relevant. ...
There was always some thought the Yankees had such concerns as well ... GM Brian Cashman all but confirmed those concerns ... before the Yankees-Nationals game in Washington, D.C. ...
Cano actually failed the test in spring training ...
So when his 80-game suspension was announced it was no surprise that Cano was ready with a dog-ate-my-homework story about how this was the fault of some unknown doctor in the Dominican Republic who prescribed furosemide as medication for an unknown ailment.
As if a player making huge money wouldn't consult with his team's medical people and/or his high-powered agents about using furosemide, which is ... listed as a PED in MLB's joint drug agreement.
May 17 Mark Teixeira overlapped with Cano for five seasons in New York. During a guest appearance on the Michael Kay Show on 98.7 ESPN New York on Thursday, the former first baseman was asked if he ever suspected Cano of using performance-enhancing substances: "Yeah, I don't really want to get into too much detail. I love Robbie, I'm just not surprised. I don't really want to go too much further. But I think a lot of people are kind of saying the same thing. ... Let's just use this situation here. Robbie Cano's assistant was on the list for Biogenesis. Now, of course, [he] had an assistant, you know, buy stuff for him. Alex Rodriguez got popped by Biogenesis and Melky got popped. They were best friends. When someone gets lumped into that group, it's because there's evidence. There's a paper trail, there's a smoke trail."
May 17
ReplyDeleteMark Teixeira overlapped with Cano for five seasons in New York. During a guest appearance on the Michael Kay Show on 98.7 ESPN New York on Thursday, the former first baseman was asked if he ever suspected Cano of using performance-enhancing substances:
"Yeah, I don't really want to get into too much detail. I love Robbie, I'm just not surprised. I don't really want to go too much further. But I think a lot of people are kind of saying the same thing. ... Let's just use this situation here. Robbie Cano's assistant was on the list for Biogenesis. Now, of course, [he] had an assistant, you know, buy stuff for him. Alex Rodriguez got popped by Biogenesis and Melky got popped. They were best friends. When someone gets lumped into that group, it's because there's evidence. There's a paper trail, there's a smoke trail."