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Romero, Mitre Suspended For 50 Games

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A Tribune staff, wire report

The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 7, 2009

NEW YORK - Phillies reliever J.C. Romero and Yankees minor-league pitcher Sergio Mitre were suspended for the first 50 games of next season after testing positive for a banned substance.

The suspensions were announced Tuesday by Major League Baseball.

Romero earned two wins in Philadelphia's World Series victory against the Rays last season. He has called the penalty unfair, ESPN.com reported Monday night. He contends the supplement he took during the season was legal because he bought it over the counter at a nutrition store in the United States. An arbitrator decided against Romero in November.

Mitre is with the New York Yankees' Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Triple A team.

The arbitrator ruled Romero was guilty of negligence. The penalty will cost the left-hander $1.25 million in salary, ESPN.com said.

"I still cannot see where I did something wrong," Romero told the Web site. "There is nothing that should take away from the rings of my teammates. I didn't cheat. I tried to follow the rules."

The Philadelphia Inquirer also reported Romero's suspension on its Web site early Tuesday.

Romero was the winning pitcher in Game 3 of the World Series and the clinching Game 5 for the champion Phillies.

Romero, a key member of Philadelphia's strong bullpen, served in a setup role for closer Brad Lidge for most of last season. He went 4-4 with a 2.75 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 59 innings. He appeared in 81 games and had one save.

In the postseason, Romero was outstanding. He didn't allow a run and only two hits in eight appearances, spanning 71/3 innings.

6 Players Sign With Rays

ST. PETERSBURG - A couple of familiar faces will be back in the Rays' clubhouse during spring training after agreeing to minor-league contracts with the team for 2009.

Catcher Michel Hernandez, who was on Tampa Bay's active roster throughout the playoffs but did not see action, and outfielder Jon Weber, who was in camp with the team last spring and spent all season at Durham, were among the six players whose signings were announced Tuesday.

The other four, all of whom also received invitations to big-league camp, are left-hander Randy Choate, right-hander Julio DePaula, infielder Ray Olmedo and outfielder Ray Sadler.

Each of those players has logged at least some time in the majors, with the 33-year-old Choate boasting the most experience - and perhaps the best shot to make the team based on the Rays' desire to add another lefty in the bullpen. A Tampa resident and Florida State product, he pitched for the Yankees from 2000 to 2003 and the Diamondbacks from 2004-07 before spending all of last year with the Brewers' Triple-A affiliate.

Olmedo has logged nearly 200 big-league games, mostly at shortstop, for the Reds and Blue Jays. DePaula and Sadler have had brief tastes of the majors with the Twins and Pirates, respectively, but have spent the bulk of their careers in the minors.

Marc Lancaster

ATHLETICS: Free-agent first baseman Jason Giambi was nearing a deal to return to Oakland nearly 14 years after making his debut with the club, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

INDIANS: Signed free-agent pitcher Carl Pavano, who was a four-year bust with the New York Yankees because of injuries, to a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

MARLINS: Scott Proctor's one-year, $750,000 deal has been finalized after the reliever passed his physical.

PHILLIES: Finalized a $5.2 million, one year deal with pitcher Chan Ho Park.

YANKEES: Completed a $180 million, eight-year contract with Mark Teixeira, announcing the deal in perhaps the final event at the old Yankee Stadium.

TRADE: The Colorado Rockies have bolstered their starting rotation, acquiring right-hander Jason Marquis from the Chicago Cubs for reliever Luis Vizcaino.

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