Edinson Volquez tests positive for PED's, will serve 50 game suspension

By TheNaturalMevs on April 21, 2010

Wouldn’t you know it would be one of us?

Edinson Volquez was found to be using PED’s and will serve a 50-game suspension; much or all of which will be completed while he is on the 60-day disabled list recovering from Tommy John surgery.

You’ve heard all the facts by now, as the news broke while we were at our day job. We’ll give our thoughts on it.

I didn’t like that the Reds were in a hurry to trade Josh Hamilton back when they did it. They obviously didn’t do their homework on Volquez; who has displayed a little bit of questionable character issues. Some would counter that Hamilton has them as well. I disagree. Hamilton is an addict, not a cheater. That’s not even to say we’re against cheating. But another slip up and this guy is in big trouble.

We like Edinson. The 2008 season was a thing of beauty. He was maybe our last legit All-Star player. But those days are long gone.

If you follow us on twitter, you heard our take after it happened. After Tommy John surgery; and now a PED suspension (whether it affects the Reds on the field or not); you really don’t know what you have in this guy. It all adds up to baggage and uncertainty.

And it reiterates the point I’ve been saying all along. I hear people talking about our five young starters. They mention Bailey, Chapman, Cueto, Leake, and Volquez. You can no longer count Volquez in that group. He’ll certainly get another chance, but the bird we had in the hand at one point is now gone.

Volquez says it was a fertility drug he got in the Dominican to help him start a family. Sounds familiar. Who knows and who cares. The fact is our guy got pinched and when he returns he’ll be in the abyss a little bit more then he would have been before trying to find his way through it.