Mark Teixeira speaks out against PED use

TAMPA, Fla. -- It wasn't just Major League Baseball that was interested in talking with Alex Rodriguez and Francisco Cervelli.

Michael Weiner, executive director of the Players Association, said the union was, too. And did.

"I believe members of our staff have met at this point with those players," Weiner said Wednesday.

It is not believed that MLB, to this point, has spoken to Rodriguez and Cervelli, though it plans to as part of an ongoing investigation into the Miami anti-aging clinic Biogenesis and its founder, Anthony Bosch.

Rodriguez and Cervelli have both been linked, though in far different ways, to Biogenesis.

Rodriguez is alleged to have purchased PEDs whereas Cervelli's name showed up on a list, but with no connection to any drugs.

After the Yankees' 10-7 loss to the Orioles at Steinbrenner Field, Cervelli said he told the MLBPA the same thing he's said publicly: He only consulted with Bosch and didn't purchase anything from the clinic.

Federal authorities also are investigating Biogenesis and Bosch, and Weiner said the MLBPA is just as interested as those two bodies in what turns up.

"Our interest in finding out if anything happened down in Miami is just as keen as the interest of the commissioner's office," said Weiner, who spoke to reporters after meeting with the Yankees as part of his tour of every spring training site. "We may not have the same resources, [and] we also have different resources in terms of access to the players, but our interest in finding out if anything happened down there is just as keen."

The message he's been getting from players in his stops, Weiner said, is the performance-enhancing drug discussion is one they're tired of having.

"The players understand that we have a statutory, a legal obligation, to represent any player who is subject to discipline or accused of wrongdoing," Weiner said. "But the players also understand that we also have a legal obligation to the Joint Drug Program. There is no mistake as to where the sentiment of the players are. They are sick of this issue. They would much rather focus on all the positives that the game of baseball is producing. If there is something going on, whether it's in Miami or otherwise, they want us to get to the bottom of it."

Mark Teixeira has been among the more outspoken players against PEDs.

"Most guys are on the same page generally," Teixeira said. "I don't ever want a kid to look at me and say, he just hit three homers in a game, he's probably on steroids. That's just a tough thing and it's a part of our job, been part of baseball for a long time, but we just have to in our minds know we're doing everything possible we can ."

Weiner said that could include stiffer penalties for offenders of the Joint Drug Program, though any changes wouldn't occur before 2014. Teixeira said he's not against steeper penalties, but that's not his preference.

"Whatever the science is, if we can make that better and more advanced, try to stay ahead of the cheats," he said. "I think that's what we're finding, there's always a doctor out there that's smarter than the test."

Teixeira is also realistic.

"I don't think it will ever go away. It's just like taxes. IRS can do everything they can, people are going to cheat on their taxes. IRS can do everything they can to try and stop it, it's not going to be 100 percent perfect."

Yankees camp was the seventh stop for the 50-year-old Weiner, who is battling an inoperable brain tumor. He said visiting with his players has energized him.

"My doctors warned me this trip might be a little bit fatiguing, and the pseudo-doctors that are traveling with me warned me," Weiner said. "I said I'll be careful and I'll get my rest, but don't underestimate how energizing it is for me to be with the guys. Seven clubhouses in, it's incredibly energizing."