NEW YORK, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- A dozen major league players, including New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez, will be suspended Monday for using performance-enhancing drugs, sources told ESPN.
Rodriguez will likely be benched until the 2015 season and most of the others will be hit with 50-game suspensions, the network said.
Rodriguez is likely the biggest name among those in hot water over their involvement with a Florida anti-aging clinic accused of peddling PEDs to professional and high school athletes.
Rodriguez is 37 and has spent the entire season recovering from hip surgery. He has vowed to report to the Yankees this week; however, the commissioner's office appears adamant he will be suspended first.
Sources told ESPN Commissioner Bud Selig turned down a proposal for negotiations involving Rodriguez's representatives, the Yankees, Selig's office and the players' union. Selig insisted there would be no further discussions.
Rodriguez allegedly has contended he should only get a 50-game suspension because he has never failed a drug test and is technically a first-time offender.
A loose end remains the possibility Rodriguez could still play this season if he appeals his suspension. Playing would enable Rodriguez to continue collecting paychecks, but sources said Selig would invoke his powers to protect the integrity of baseball and hit him with a harsher penalty.
Selig's refusal to allow Rodriguez to play while his case is appealed will likely lead to a union grievance and arbitration. "If this goes to arbitration, it could get very, very ugly," a source told ESPN.
