MLB union says drug bans likely won’t be served this year if challenged

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The baseball players’ association says any suspensions resulting from the sport’s latest drug investigation likely won’t be served until next year if the discipline is challenged before an arbitrator.

Union head Michael Weiner says he expects Major League Baseball will notify the union of its plans for penalties in the next month, and the union will maintain that any discipline should not be announced until after arbitrator Fredric Horowitz upholds a ban.

Weiner says that because of the time needed to prepare and hold hearings, the case of any player challenging a penalty won’t be decided during this season.

Former MVPs Alex Rodriguez and Ryan Braun are among the players under investigation for ties to Biogenesis, a closed anti-aging clinic linked with the distribution of performance-enhancing drugs.