"He doesn’t give a f--k about 17 players, he wants f---ing A-Rod" - When Rob Manfred revealed why Alex Rodriguez was being targeted by Bud Selig
In 2013, Alex Rodriguez was on top of the world. The three-time MVP was seven years into his ten-year, $275 million deal with the Yankees, and seen as a generational superstar.
However, things began to change. It was revealed that A-Rod had been receiving HGH, a performance-enhancing drug from the Miami-based Biogensis of America lab. As MLB opened an investigation, it soon became then-commissioner Alan "Bud" Selig's mission to bring justice to Rodriguez.
"A-ROD CANNED. #mlb Commissioner Bud Selig issued Alex Rodriguez his formal notice of discipline on August 5, 2013, telling him: "you are hereby suspended for 211 regular-season games (plus 2013 postseason games)...and the entire 2014 regular-season." - #BaseballAndTheLaw
Operating as part of Selig's task force was current MLB boss Rob Manfred, as well MLB Department of Investigations official Eddie Dominguez. As part of their research into the scandal, MLB purchased records from the Biogenesis Clinic, which contained the names of MLB players who had purchased drugs from head nutritionist Tony Bosch.
Although the report contained the names of several players, Selig apparently wanted to nab the New York Yankees star above all else. According to Dominguez' book Baseball Cop, Manfred claimed that Selig was interested in one man, and that was Alex Rodriguez. Dominguez quoted Manfred:
"Al from Milwaukee (Selig) doesn’t give a f**k about seventeen players.He wants f**king Alex Rodriguez.”
Soon thereafter, A-Rod was suspended from August 8, 2013 until the end of the 2014 season. Many point to A-Rod's big time attitude, stretching back to the early days of his career with the Seattle Mariners, as a driving factor. By pinning evidence against Rodriguez, Selig would be able to discredit one of the biggest names in the history of modern baseball.
Biogenesis scandal remains a permanent stain on Alex Rodriguez' career
Although 14 players were suspended on account of the Biogensis scandal, including former Milwaukee Brewers MVP Ryan Braun, A-Rod was the biggest fish by far. As such, the now-retired star has failed to make the Baseball Hall of Fame for three straight seasons.
Selig stepped down from the position in 2015, giving way for Manfred to take up the commissioner's job. However, the investigative work by the league under Selig will always be lauded as some of the best investigative work ever carried out in pro sports. With the issue of PED use still posing a threat to the fairness of the game, the investigation serves as a playbook for future operations of its kind.