Peralta Disproves Adage That Cheaters Never Prosper

Jhonny Peralta got slapped with a 50 game suspension this past season for his association with Biogenesis, then returned to the Detroit Tigers to play in the post-season, which included a World Series appearance. And now, the big free agent pay-off. Peralta and the St. Louis reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year, $50MM deal.

There were rumors that Peralta might sign with a team and switch to the outfield, but with not much offensive production from Cards' shortstops Pete Kozma and Daniel Descalso, Peralta is likely to remain at short.

After seven-plus seasons in Cleveland, Peralta was dealt to the Tigers at the 2010 trade deadline for catcher Giovanni Soto. Outside of an All-Star appearance two years when he hit 21 home runs and knocked in 86, Peralta's offense had been in decline since 2008. That is until this past season when he had an .815 OPS with 11 HR and 55 RBI in 107 games and was selected as an All-Star for the second time.

But Peralta's regular season ended prematurely when his name was among those involved in the Biogenesis Clinic scandal. The native of the Dominican Republic issued a public apology at the time -  "I take full responsibility for my actions, have no excuses for my lapse in judgment and I accept my suspension."

Peralta made a career high $6MM in 2013 and will reportedly more than double his annual salary despite the fact his numbers may very well have been boosted by his PED use.  Apparently baseball ownership doesn't care much more than the fans do.