After pitcher José Alvarado was banned for 80 games, MLB fans once again revisited the league’s rules on PED suspensions. With the Philadelphia Phillies’ closer now ineligible for the postseason, it raises questions about why some suspensions are so long, even when players claim they didn’t know they had done anything wrong. Whether you believe them or not is another matter, but Alvarado is the latest to pay the price.
Breaking Down MLB’s Drug Policy
MLB’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program has a table of contents with eight major sections. They include: Oversight and Administration, Prohibited Substances, Testing, Evaluation and Treatment for Drugs of Abuse, Confidential Information, Disclosure in Response to Legal Process, Discipline, and Appeals.
Under “Oversight and Administration,” an independent program administrator oversees the entire process. The IPA’s responsibilities include scheduling urine and blood specimen collections and reporting the results. If there’s a positive test, the IPA also arranges the follow-up testing.
To keep things consistent, a meeting is held every year with the IPA and other relevant parties within 30 days after the World Series. This meeting is used to discuss potential changes to the program, review positive tests, and ensure the league is maintaining a fair and effective system.
In the Prohibited Substances category, there are nine “drugs of abuse” and 80 “performance-enhancing substances” that are banned. With players constantly managing medications, supplements, and treatments, it’s easy to see how one ingredient might slip through as a banned substance.
Jose Alvarado receives an 80-game PED suspension without pay and will be ineligible for Postseason if Phillies reach.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman)
Random testing is conducted during spring training, the regular season, and even the MLB offseason. The policy states there’s no limit to how many times a player can be randomly selected for blood testing in a year. If there’s reasonable cause to believe a player has used, sold, or distributed a banned substance in the past 12 months, that player must be tested within 48 hours.
MORE: Phillies Bullpen Takes Huge Hit After José Alvarado Gets Suspended for PED Violation
For someone like Alvarado, he now faces the follow-up testing process. That means he’ll undergo six unannounced urine tests and three unannounced blood tests over the next 12 months. The league is required to release a statement on each suspension, including the length of the suspension and the banned substance involved.
Since this was Alvarado’s first offense, he received the standard 80-game suspension. A second violation results in a 162-game suspension and loss of 183 days of pay. A third offense can lead to a permanent suspension from Major and Minor League Baseball.