List of Major League Baseball players suspended for performance-enhancing drugs
Player Team Date announced Penalty Position
Troy Cate Seattle Mariners April 4 , 2005 15 games P
Willie Collazo Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim April 4 , 2005 15 games P
Francisco Córdova Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim April 4 , 2005 15 games P
Jesús Guzmán Seattle Mariners April 4 , 2005 15 games P
Clay Hensley San Diego Padres April 4 , 2005 15 games P
Robert Machado Texas Rangers April 4 , 2005 15 games C
Damian Moss Seattle Mariners April 4 , 2005 15 games P
Brian Mallette ( 2 ) Pittsburgh Pirates April 6 , 2005 30 games P
Jon Nunnally Pittsburgh Pirates April 6 , 2005 15 games OF
Tom Evans Pittsburgh Pirates April 6 , 2005 15 games 3B
Julius Matos Toronto Blue Jays April 6 , 2005 15 games UT
Ricardo Rodríguez Atlanta Braves April 22 , 2005 15 games P
Grant Roberts New York Mets April 22 , 2005 15 games P
Eider Torres Cleveland Indians April 22 , 2005 15 games 2B
Randy Ruiz Philadelphia Phillies May 3 , 2005 15 games 1B
Darnell McDonald Cleveland Indians May 6 , 2005 15 games OF
Guillermo Rodríguez San Francisco Giants May 12 , 2005 15 games C
Jonathan Herrera Colorado Rockies May 12 , 2005 15 games UT
Steve Smyth Oakland Athletics May 12 , 2005 15 games OF
Jorge Toca Chicago White Sox May 12 , 2005 15 games 1B
Suspended players -- Players with major league experience on minor league rosters or free agents
This table lists players with prior MLB experience who , at the time of their suspension , were in Minor League Baseball or were a free agent .
In February 2004, Major League Baseball announced a new drug policy which originally included random, offseason testing and 10-day suspensions for first-time offenders, 30-days for second-time offenders, 60-days for third-time offenders, and one year for fourth-time offenders, all without pay, in an effort to curtail performance-enhancing drug use (PED) in professional baseball. This policy strengthened baseball's pre-existing ban on controlled substances, including steroids, which has been in effect since 1991. The policy was to be reviewed in 2008, but under pressure from the U.S. Congress, on November 15, 2005, players and owners agreed to tougher penalties; a 50-game suspension for a first offense, a 100-game suspension for a second, and a lifetime ban for a third. In December 2009, Sports Illustrated named baseball's steroid scandal of performance-enhancing drugs as the number one sports story of the decade of the 2000s. The current penalties, adopted on March 28, 2014, are 80 games for a first offense, 162 games for a second offense, and a permanent suspension (lifetime ban) for a third. Players are also ineligible from participating in the post-season the same year they receive a suspension, regardless of when their suspension is completed, unless the penalty is reduced on appeal. Players receiving a permanent suspension can apply to the Commissioner of Baseball for reinstatement after one year, which if granted can occur not sooner than two years after the suspension started.