CLEVELAND (AP) -Reliever Brendan Donnelly, alleged in the Mitchell Report to have purchased steroids, agreed to a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians and was invited to spring training.
Donnelly, signed Tuesday, spent last season with the Boston Red Sox, going 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 27 appearances for the World Series champions.
He went on the 15-day disabled list in June with a forearm injury and underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in August. Although he can’t help them immediately, the Indians are hoping the right-hander may be able to bolster the back end of their bullpen at some point.
He is expected to report to camp in late March and will miss the first few months of the season as he rehabs from the operation.
before he was named in the report, the Red Sox did not tender a contract for Donnelly.
The Mitchell report said Kirk Radomski, a former clubhouse attendant for the New York Mets, got a phone call from Donnelly in 2004 seeking Anavar, an anabolic steroid. According to the report, Radomski made one sale of Deca-Durabolin for which Donnelly paid $250 to $300.
The report also said that, while deciding whether to trade for Donnelly, Boston’s baseball operations department discussed concerns that he was using performance-enhancing substances.
In an e-mail to vice president of player personnel Ben Cherington, Zack Scott of the Red Sox staff wrote of Donnelly: “He was a juice guy but his velocity hasn’t changed a lot over the years. … If he was a juice guy, he could be a breakdown candidate.”
In a statement to ESPN.com, Donnelly said he discussed Anavar in a phone call with Radomski in 2004 when he had several physical problems. He said he learned it was a steroid and “realized that was not an option.” He said he never took Deca or Anavar and never purchased or received anything from Radomski.
Donnelly has a major league record of 25-9 with four saves and a 2.88 ERA in 303 relief appearances. He began his career in 1992 in the Chicago White Sox organization and has also been with the Cubs, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay, Toronto and Pittsburgh.
He also had a stint with an independent league team before joining the Angels in 2001.
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