Former Cub Taylor Teagarden Suspended By Major League Baseball

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona -- Taylor Teagarden wasn't a Cub very long -- just eight games in 2015, during which he went 3-for-15. One of those hits was a ninth-inning game-winning single off Aroldis Chapman July 22 in Cincinnati. So that, at least, was memorable.

Friday, Teagarden, who is still a free agent, was suspended by Major League Baseball in this tersely-worded press release:

The Office of the Commissioner announced today that free agent catcher Taylor Teagarden has received an 80-game suspension without pay as a result of his violation of Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. The suspension of Teagarden will be effective Opening Day of the 2016 Championship Season.

Since Teagarden hasn't signed with any team, I'd assume the suspension would take effect if and when he signs.

Most MLB press releases concerning these types of suspensions mention the type of PED used, or a "drug of abuse" if that's the case. You'll note this one doesn't. I'm speculating here, but I'm guessing this suspension is as a result of Teagarden's appearance in this Al Jazeera video (his appearance starts at 29:15):

In the video, you see that Teagarden specifically says he played for the Cubs "last year," indicating the video must have been shot last offseason. The video is pretty convincing evidence of Teagarden's violation, as he's shown admitting he did PEDs.

At 32, and not having played well last year, I suspect Teagarden's baseball career is over with this suspension. I'm reporting it here simply because his last MLB team was the Cubs.