Oh, hello, unexpected news.
BREAKING: Guillermo Mota of #SFGiants receives 100-game suspension after testing positive for Clenbuterol, a performance-enhancing substance
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) May 7, 2012
If whatever he was taking was performance-enhancing, I sure as hell hope he saved the receipt.
I was still willing to make an argument for Mota in a balanced bullpen, though. Years ago, I sang the praises of Keiichi Yabu as a back-of-the-bullpen guy, simply because he was pushing 40, and there was no real reason to care about slagging his arm. That's a really, really cynical way to look at a baseball roster, but I like having a guy you can put in the fourth inning after the starter gets blown out and keep in for 75 pitches. You can't do that with young guys, lest you damage their crystal arms.
Mota was some sort of warped, dystopian version of a setup man this year. I liked how Bochy used him last year; I was terrified of how he was being used this year. Looks like it's all for naught now.
A 100-game suspension will put him out until the end of August, which makes me think he'll be back with the team when the rosters expand. If he was pitching like that with the PEDs, though, I shudder to think what Mota's like au naturel these days.
Travis Blackley's looked good in his brief trial. It was amusing when the Giants signed him to a minor-league deal -- hey remember that guy? -- but it looks like he has a chance to pitch some important innings. Good for him.