ARLINGTON, Texas — Ryan Braun's capitulation to Major League Baseball has not spurred Alex Rodriguez to take a similar course, and A-Rod could very well opt for conflict over cooperation.
Ron Berkowitz, A-Rod's spokesman, said, "It's not true" A-Rod has engaged MLB in settlement talks concerning baseball's Biogenesis investigation, and a second person familiar with the situation confirmed that on the condition of anonymity.
As Joel Sherman reported in yesterday's Post, multiple people close to A-Rod say the beleaguered Yankees third baseman is prepared to appeal any suspension given to him by MLB.
Christopher Pasatieri
Alex Rodriguez
Braun rocked the baseball world Monday by negotiating a season-ending, 65-game suspension upon seeing the evidence MLB compiled against him. Baseball people have expressed confidence they have a much better case against A-Rod than they did against Braun.
MLB thinks it has enough on Rodriguez to make him serve considerably more thawn 65 games. In addition to his ties to Bosch and Biogenesis, baseball officials contend A-Rod denied using illegal performance-enhancing drugs during a 2010 interview with MLB's investigations department. There is also a belief A-Rod hindered MLB's Biogenesis endeavor. So Bud Selig's office is contemplating a penalty of well over 100 games, an industry source said. A lifetime suspension is possible, although that would be difficult to support in an arbitration hearing.
Given that he'll have far more money at stake than did Braun (whose penalty will cost him about $3.4 million), finding a disciplinary sweet spot for A-Rod (who has about $98 million more coming in his Yankees contract) might not be as easy as it was for Braun. Like Braun did until his surrender Monday, Rodriguez has maintained his innocence, saying he has no association with Biogenesis, the shuttered South Florida anti-aging clinic, or its owner (and chief MLB witness) Anthony Bosch.
A bulk announcement of suspensions, including one for A-Rod, could come as soon as next week, and then it would be incumbent upon each player to decide whether to appeal or to work on a settlement. However, the situation is fluid. Other players could follow Braun's lead and cut a deal, which would then prompt MLB to issue more individual press releases.
Braun's validation of Bosch gives baseball another leg on which to stand, as it makes it harder for A-Rod or any other accused player to discredit Bosch. However, each player's case ultimately figures to rest on the quality of the evidence raised against him and his attempts to refute that specific evidence.
The Braun suspension also reflected the dramatically evolving culture of the players association, as executive director Michael Weiner told the Baseball Writers Association of America last week he would try to persuade seemingly guilty players to work with MLB on a fair punishment. That's precisely what Braun did, pleasing a majority of the union's membership, and if the case against A-Rod is as strong as MLB believes, the union could lean on A-Rod to do the same.
Yet Weiner also said the union will strongly defend any player who proclaims his innocence, no matter how unlikely that seems. The players association has an internal obligation to do just that.
If Rodriguez follows through on his current sentiment and appeals, then his case could very well drag into the offseason, as Weiner said last week. A player is supposed to have an appeal heard within 20 days of being suspended and then is supposed to hear a decision from the arbitrator within 25 days of the hearing's first day, but if many players appeal suspensions, then that time line could be slowed down, as there is one arbitrator — Frederic Horowitz, who will be assigned to all of the cases.
The Yankees would love to see Rodriguez fight, prolonging his situation, and then lose, as any penalty impacting his 2014 salary would aid the Yankees' effort to get their payroll next year under the $189 million luxury tax threshold. A 2014 suspension of A-Rod for 100 or more games would give the Yankees vastly increased flexibility, as Rodriguez is set to make $25 million next year.
kdavidoff@nypost.com
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