A-Rod Reportedly Paid Cousin $900k to Keep Quiet About Steroid Use

Things just keep getting worse for Yankees Third Baseman Alex Rodriguez.

The 39-year-old three-time MVP apparently paid his cousin Yuri Sucart just under $1 million to stay quiet about his recent PED use, The New York Daily News reports. Rodriguez, who has played for the Yankees since 2004, was suspended for all of 2014 after it got out that he had again taken banned substances.

From the NYDN's article:

"Alex Rodriguez’s infamous 'Cousin Yuri Sucart' threatened to expose the Yankee superstar's doping secrets unless the scandal-ridden slugger coughed up 'enormous sums of money,' according to court papers filed last week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Rodriguez caved, entering into a confidential settlement with Sucart on June 5, 2013, agreeing to pay Sucart one $700,000 payment for his silence, in addition to three more payments made to Sucart that totalled $200,000."

According to the piece, Sucart's former attorney, Jeffrey Sonn, demanded $5 million and a "life estate" for Sucart in late 2012, following the start of MLB's investigation. Though he didn't ended up getting that amount, the current figure of $900,000 still can't help the Yankees slugger, on whom much of the baseball world has already turned its back.

Rodriguez's temporary ban ended following the last out of last week's World Series, and as of now, he's still set to participate in the team's spring training next February.

Ellsbury Out Today With Ankle Injury

Yankees Center Fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, who has 4 home runs and 9 RBIs in the team's last nine games, will miss today's middle contest with an ankle injury, Joe Girardi's starting lineup reveals. 

Ellsbury, who signed a 7-year/$153 million deal with New York this offseason, suffered the wound while sliding into home in last night's ninth inning, a play on which he was called out after both a Blue Jays and a Yankees challenge.

Currently, there is nothing suggesting that the injury is serious, although it is possible that #22 could be out a few days.

If so, like in this afternoon's case, backup Ichiro Suzuki would likely see some more playing time, a happening that'd probably make Ellsbury's absence tolerable.