Jenrry Mejia signed his first pro contract at age 17. By age 20, he was a major leaguer. At 26, he's on the verge of becoming an ex-player because he was too stupid, or stubborn, to play by baseball's rules.
His third PED-related suspension — two years to life — has destroyed what little trust there was in the Mets right-hander.
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Let's dismiss his vague protest and his threat of an appeal (probably a tainted-supplement defense). Major League Baseball has gone through its appeals process for a third time with the player; suspensions aren't announced until after that happens. The next step, it seems, would be a court battle. Yeah, good luck with that.
The thing is, Mejia was good enough to compete "naked," without enhancers. You don't get to The Show by 20 without talent (OK, and maybe with a chemical boost in this case). You certainly don't become a reliable closer in the majors without talent and guts.
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And you don't stay in a team's plans after two drug suspensions without the ability to be a difference-maker, which is how the Mets viewed Mejia for the second half of this year, once suspension No. 2 was finished.
Why Mejia couldn't rely just on those attributes, only he can say. For his part, what he has said in the past has left a lot of people cold. He has never truly apologized for cheating; he has insisted he never knowingly used illegal substances. Expect to hear that again when he argues this third strike.
That defiance is one argument against any team giving him a minor league contract in 2018 — if Mejia is reinstated at all. Certainly no team will gamble a 40-man roster spot on someone who might try once again to beat the testers.
Mejia, for his part, could view the time off as something similar to an extended rehab from Tommy John surgery. He can start over physically and for once not jack up his body with illegal stuff.
His poor judgment in the past offers little hope this will happen. It's more likely Mejia is done.
For good.
