Ex-Yankee Mark Teixeira 'not surprised' at Cano suspension

Retired slugger Mark Teixeira said Thursday that he was "not surprised" to see former teammate Robinson Cano suspended 80 games for violating MLB's joint drug agreement.

The two played together on the New York Yankees, where Teixeira said Cano was close with PED users such as Alex Rodriguez and Melky Cabrera. Teixeira offered his comments on "The Michael Kay Show" on ESPN New York's radio station.

"Robbie Cano's assistant was on the list for Biogenesis," Teixeira said. "Of course he had his assistant buy stuff for him. Alex Rodriguez got popped by Biogenesis and Melky got popped. They're his best friends. When someone gets lumped into that group, it's because there's evidence, there's a paper trail, there's a smoke trail. ...

"I really don't want to get into too much detail. I love Robbie. But yeah, I'm just not surprised. I don't really want to go too much further. But I think a lot of people are kind of saying the same thing."

Cano, 34, said he tested positive for Furosemide, a diuretic that is considered to be a masking agent. He said he never used PEDs and that the banned substance was within medication given to him to treat a separate condition.

The suspension could tarnish Cano's case to make the Baseball Hall of Fame. He is a .304 lifetime hitter with 305 home runs, 1,206 RBIs and 2,417 hits in 2,037 games. He is an eight-time All-Star and a two-time Gold Glove winner.

Teixeira, who said he never used PEDs, suggested that Major League Baseball should increase its penalties.

"We need to look at, OK, if you get popped, your contract can be voided," Teixeira said. "I think we should absolutely look at those things. You look at other walks of life. If you get caught insider trading or if you get caught cheating on your taxes, you go to prison, you're banned for life from trading. These are the types of things happening to these quote-unquote cheats.

"In baseball? Eh, half a season. In football? Four games, whatever it may be. ... We need to look at harsher penalties."

--Field Level Media