Former Nats, Mets pitcher Michael O’Connor was suspended for drugs

By Craig CalcaterraJun 25, 2013, 5:40 PM EST
12 Comments

I’m wondering if when the Biogenesis suspensions come out if they’ll be released in little emails just after 5pm. And I wonder if I’ll still use the Rachel Leigh Cook pic.  Probably not and probably not, respectively, but I’ll consider it. Anyway:

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced today that free agent Minor League left-handed pitcher Michael O’Connor has received a 50-game suspension without pay after testing positive for metabolites of Trenbolone, a performance-enhancing substance in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.

O’Connor — assuming this is the same Michael O’Connor — had three stints with the Nationals, starting 20 games for them in 2006 and last appearing in the bigs in 2011 with the Mets. A veteran of 12 minor league seasons, O’Connor turns 33 in August and was last seen on the Twins’ Triple-A roster. He was released in May.

Now he roams the Earth, presumably.

White Sox trying to trade Avasail Garcia

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By Craig CalcaterraNov 13, 2018, 3:51 PM EST
2 Comments

A wise man once said that a wise mad said that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. The White Sox are not prepared to miss their shot: Mark Feinsand of MLB.com says they are “actively trying” to trade Avisail Garcia.

Which seems like a super difficult shot given that (a) Garcia had knee and hamstring injuries this past season; (b) hit just .236/.281/.438 when he did play; and (c) is arbitration eligible and stands to make more than the $6.7 million salary he made in 2018. You put those things together and you have a guy that the Sox are almost 100% going to non-tender rather than take to arbitration, thereby making him freely and cheaply available to anyone who wants him as long as they can wait until November 30, which is the tender/non-tender deadline.

Garcia, who somehow is still just 27 years-old, is one year removed from what many considered a breakout year, in which he hit .330/.380/.506 in 136 games, but I don’t think anyone is going to bite at him in a trade. Assuming he’s in decent shape and recovered from injuries, however, he could be a useful player in 2019.