José Alvarado has been suspended for 80 games. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-USA TODAY Sports Paul Rutherford
The most devastating part for the Phillies of Sunday morning's announcement that José Alvarado had failed a performance-enhancing drug test wasn't the 80-game suspension, but rather that he will also be ineligible for the postseason.
It's a bit of a strange quirk in the collective bargaining agreement. Alvarado will be suspended for 80 games, but then eligible to return when that punishment concludes in August. However, after being able to pitch for the final six-ish weeks of the regular season, Alvarado won't be able to play in October.
This isn't a comment on whether or not Alvarado unknowingly consumed the banned substance as part of a weight loss drug — as the Phillies suggested — or if he was knowingly trying to cheat the system. No one is arguing with the 80-game suspension.
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It's also not even really a Phillies-focused discussion. Jurickson Profar was suspended in April for a failed PED test, and will return for the Atlanta Braves during the summer after serving his time. But then he won't be eligible to participate in the postseason.
In some senses, it seems wrong to punish guys twice. Why are you able to return from your suspension and then take part in games that determine who is in the playoffs, but not actually play in October? Shouldn't it be that once you're suspension is over, you are allowed to proceed with a second chance?
It would be one thing if Alvarado or Profar was suspended late in the season and the 80 games ran into the playoffs. But each will have served their suspension and then been deemed to be clean and able to return to the game. Until the calendar flips to October.
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Ultimately, it falls on professional athletes to know what is going into their bodies. They have the resources of the team at their disposal to check and make sure before taking something that it won't get them flagged for a banned substance. There's an argument that even if Alvarado and Profar took something banned by accident, you shouldn't feel too badly that they'll also miss the postseason given their negligence.
At the same time, there's a fair discussion to be had about whether this current system that automatically bans players who fail a test from the postseason — regardless of when in the season they are suspended — is a just one. Because by the time the postseason is over, it's possible that Alvarado and/or Profar will have effectively been suspended close to 100 games.
