Taylor Teagarden, a free-agent catcher who was named in the same Al-Jazeera report that also connected Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Howard and Peyton Manning to PEDs, has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball.
Teagarden is the first athlete cited in the report to be disciplined. The key there is that Teagarden is also the only athlete shown admitting to PED use. In an undercover video included in the Al-Jazeera America documentary, Teagarden talks openly about his use and his concerns about a future drug test, which he ultimately passed.
MLB has been working with the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) to investigate the allegations against the three major league players named. MLB did not cite a failed drug test in its discipline of Teagarden, though it clearly feels the evidence against him, based strongly on his own words, was enough to warrant a suspension.
There's no indication what this could mean for Zimmerman or Howard. Both men have strongly denied the report. In fact, both filed a lawsuit alleging defamation against the news agency. Their cases will be far more complicated, but MLB seems committed to conducting a thorough and complete investigation into both.
As for Teagarden, his suspension will not have a great impact on the league. He's been mostly a bit player throughout his eight-year career in MLB, spending time with the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, New York Mets and Chicago Cubs. He's a career .202 batter with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs.
Taylor Teagarden wasn't a hot commodity before the documentary aired, and whatever perceived value he had left was likely drained once it did. At 32, it's possibly we've seen the last of him in a major-league uniform.
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