Cabrera addresses suspension in statement
Melky Cabrera arrived at the Toronto Blue Jays' camp for the start of spring training and issued a statement Friday on his suspension for performance-enhancing drugs last year.
Cabrera was in the midst of a stellar 2012 season for the San Francisco Giants, hitting .346 with 11 homers and 60 RBI in 113 games, when he was suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball for taking a banned substance. The outfielder was eligible to return for the postseason, but the World Series-champion Giants kept him off their roster.
In the offseason, Cabrera signed a two-year $16 million contract with the Blue Jays.
Cabrera said Friday that his statement will be his final comment on the subject.
"My goals have been to serve my punishment and to put that mistake behind me, and to work hard to be the best baseball player I can be," he said. "At the end of last season, when it became clear that I would win the batting title despite my positive test, I asked the Players Association and MLB to make sure a more deserving player won, and I am very happy that my former teammate Buster Posey won that award instead of me.
"I also accepted the Giants' decision not to bring me back for the playoffs after I served my punishment. Instead, I continued to work hard so I could be ready for the 2013 season. I hoped and expected that I would be allowed to put my mistake behind me and to start this season fresh."
Cabrera also addressed reports linking him to the Miami clinic alleged to have been involved with performance-enhancing drugs.
"I have told MLB I will cooperate in their investigation the best I can, just as my legal counsel has told federal investigators," Cabrera said. "I have been instructed by legal counsel not to answer questions relating to the pending investigations.
"This statement will be the last comment I will make on the events of the 2012 season. I have put my mistakes behind me, have learned my lesson, and have served my punishment. I am here to play the best baseball I can to help the Toronto Blue Jays win a world championship."
