A-Rod, MLB negotiating PED suspension, sides far apart

Alex Rodriguez and Major League Baseball are negotiating a PED suspension but the sides are still far apart on a deal according to TJ Quinn and Andrew Marchand of ESPN.

Negotiations between Alex Rodriguez and Major League Baseball are apparently stuck on Rodriguez's desire to make sure he can cash in on at least some of the remaining $100 million owed under his contract, and there's also a wide gap between the suspension he is willing to accept and the one MLB would like to issue, two sources familiar with the talks told ESPN's "Outside the Lines."

The suspension of Rodriguez and eight other major league players should be announced within the next few days, with most of the other eight expected to accept 50-game suspensions without appealing.

Rodriguez is facing a lifetime ban from baseball if he does not agree to a lengthy suspension without an appeal. A lifetime ban from Bud Selig will force Rodriguez to fight the suspension through arbitration. The Yankees have not been a part of the conversation in regards to the suspension as of yet. Rodriguez is reportedly trying to figure out a way to recoup the $95M that he is due on the rest of his contract if he is indeed suspended.

While Rodriguez is willing to negotiate a deal with MLB, he would like to softer penalty than the reported ban through the 2014 season that MLB is offering him. He would lose $34M if he is suspended through the end of the '14 season.

The Yankees announced on Thursday that Rodriguez will join the Double-A Trenton Thunder. Rodriguez could join the Yankees as early as Sunday or Monday if he is not suspended or prevented from playing by MLB.

Rodriguez is among the final holdouts in the Biogenesis scandal, as most of the other players involved have indicated that they are willing to accept the 50 game suspension by this Sunday, the final date that they can contain their penalty to the 2013 regular season.

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