Analyzing MLB's Biogenesis case against Alex Rodriguez

Now that Alex Rodriguez has filed an appeal of his 211-game suspension handed down by Major League Baseball on Monday, the focus turns to the upcoming battle in arbitration.

MLB's announcement of the suspension on Monday said Alex Rodriguez's discipline under the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program was based on his use and possession of numerous forms of prohibited performance-enhancing drugs, including testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH) over multiple years. The discipline under the Basic Agreement also was for attempting to cover up his actions and intent to obstruct MLB's investigation of the Biogenesis clinic.

Rodriguez had never been suspended for PEDs, but in 2009 he admitted to using them during a three-year period beginning in 2001 while playing for the Texas Rangers.

The penalty for a first-time offense, according to the Joint Drug program, is 50 games. It increases to 100 games for a second offense and a lifetime ban for a third.

Rodriguez received his suspension for what is termed a "non-analytical positive," which does not include a failed drug test and instead relies on a papertrail and witness testimony. Rodriguez was given multiple chances by reporters Monday to deny any PED use and claim innocence, but he did not do so, instead saying it was not the right time to state his case.

Based on what his attorney, David Cornwell, has said in recent weeks, Rodriguez's side will argue that the evidence -- including the Biogenesis lists central to the investigation -- was tainted by a disgruntled former employee of the now-closed anti-aging clinic in Miami. Rodriguez's argument might have been hurt when union executive director Michael Weiner said Tuesday that he "recommended" that Rodriguez accept a suspension of a certain length, although Weiner did not give the number publicly. That alone suggests a degree of guilt, and MLB claims to have volumes of evidence against Rodriguez, which is why commissioner Bud Selig pursued such a long suspension meant not only to punish Rodriguez but to send a message to the sport as a whole.