Taxes Become Issue for Canseco

Jose Canseco might need to use his book advance to pay back taxes.

The former major league slugger owes $32,783 to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, the Sun of Lowell reported Saturday, saying his name appears on the DOR’s “cybershame” online database of people and businesses that underreported or failed to report income.

Canseco has recently been in the news because of his book, “Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big.” In the book, published Monday, Canseco calls himself the “godfather of steroids in baseball” and names baseball players he says used steroids, including former teammate Mark McGwire.

The newspaper obtained copies of two liens totaling $29,841 the DOR placed on property owned by Canseco.

Canseco’s agent, Doug Ames, said the taxes were paid to Massachusetts but that the accounting firm that handled Canseco’s taxes did not file an income tax return as required.

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Seattle Mariner second baseman Bret Boone denied Canseco’s allegation that Boone used steroids four years ago.

“I don’t know the person. He doesn’t know me. I’ve never had a conversation with him. As far as I’m concerned, it’s absolutely ridiculous,” Boone said after reporting to Seattle’s spring training camp. “ ... Look at the guy saying it. Look at what he’s doing to make a dollar, speculating to make money.”

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The 89 baseball players in arbitration have an average salary of $2.8 million this year, down from last year’s average of $3.26 million, according to a study by Associated Press.

Players in arbitration averaged a 123% increase, down from 126% last year, the AP study found. Cincinnati outfielder Adam Dunn got the steepest raise, a 934% hike from $445,000 to $4.6 million. Colorado pitcher Jason Jennings was just behind, getting a 929% raise from $340,000 to an average of $3.5 million under a two-year contract.