Buyer Beware: 11 Current Free Agents Appear in Mitchell Report

With reports swirling that baseball GM's aren't too concerned about signing a free agent who may or may not be in George Mitchell's report on performance enhancers, they now have a reason to be slightly concerned. It is now a sure thing that some of those free agents are indeed on the Mitchell Report ... we just don't know who yet. From the Boston Globe:

Agents who attended yesterday's union meeting in New York were told that 11 current free-agents are named in the George Mitchell report which could come out sometime around the first of the year, and that all 11 players have been notified by the commissioner's office. Two agents who were there confirmed this today.

Gary Matthews Jr. who is not a free-agent, met with MLB yesterday in New York to discuss his alleged purchase of HGH while the office is also trying to meet with Paul Byrd., the Indians' starter who also purchased HGH from 2002-2005. Jose Guillen, a free-agent, is one of the 11, who allegedly bought steroids.

Most of the GMs at the meetings said they weren't concerned by this revelation, but these revelations could cost these players big money.

It could, but how? There's still plenty of time before the first of the year, including the winter meetings in December ... designed to be a meeting place to make moves and sign free agents. So teams are supposed to either sign guys and take their chances, or wait until January? If the report is pretty much set, why the two month wait to announce it? The players know ... but if the clubs don't know (and who knows if they do or not), they're put in a bad position if they sign a guy without knowing if he could be in this report. And then what happens when it comes out and the team looks like idiots for taking a chance, especially if we're talking about a big name? Things seem very disjointed ... but should we really be surprised?

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

11-08-2007 @ 7:47PM

Martin said...

Baseball owners should include a provision in the contracts allowing them to void the contracts if the player used steroids. After all, the owners are paying the player based on past performance, and if that performance was due, in part, to the improper use of drugs, the failure of the player to disclose that fact would appear to be fraudulent.

11-08-2007 @ 8:13PM

j.t. said...

it's all b.s...hypocrites...isn't mitchell the same guy that wanted to be commissioner last time ..??? you can never convince me that all the owners and coaches never knew the players were on steroids.....now because bonds broke aaron's record..and he's not a kissass to mlb...he's villified and investigations ensue...try cleaning up the senate first mitchell....listen to us taxpayers for a change and quit pissing away our money,kick the illegals back to mexico and quit exporting all of our jobs overseas....try remembering your an american not some world corporate employee ...we still have country...you idiots in congress would do well to remember that !!!

11-08-2007 @ 11:49PM

George B Vieto said...

Eleven players on the Mitchell report and free agency is like politics and religion. They won't mix.

11-09-2007 @ 2:25AM

dj kahn said...

wow. well said jt

11-09-2007 @ 7:14AM

LEW said...

I WONT SWEAR FOR ANY PLAYER USING HGH OR STEROIDS. IT SEEMS THE POWER NUMBERS COME AND GO . I THINK A PLAYER WHO IS CONSISTENTY PERFORMING ABOVE AVERAGE MAY INDICATE USE OF PERFORMANCE DRUGS. WHO KNOWS ANYMORE. GIVE BLOOD TESTS TO ALL THE PLAYERS AND THIS WILL TELL WHO IS USING WHAT. IT REALLY SUCKS. THE GOOD OLD DAYS ARE GONE WHEN A PLAYER PERFORMED HIS BEST JUST ON HIS TALENTS ALONE.

11-09-2007 @ 9:25AM

Tom Burke said...

Uh JT. Mitchell is longer in Congress. No wonder Congress can't hear us. We don't even know who they are.

11-22-2007 @ 12:58PM

it seems many players used steroids. i wouldent swear for anyone .if it was used before it was banned it dont count.it will shorten there lives. so how dumb can you be, its just a pity for the fans to not know if a player has the talent or has to use help on them form of some enhansing product. it just leaves me wondering if a player is talented on his own or with some assistance. what a lousy way to have to see baseball players and wonder about that. degrades the sport, shame on them ..