Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson admonishes Alex Rodriguez, PED users

Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson had some harsh words for the 13 players who were suspended by Major League Baseball on Monday in the wake of the Biogenesis investigation, especially the one who got the stiffest penalty, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez.

“It’s good for the game that they’re finally getting him on something,” Wilson, the team’s union representative, said of Rodriguez, who is appealing his 211-game suspension. “This latest chapter just gives further fuel to the fire that he’s made bad decisions.”

Wilson, who will pitch next week in Yankee Stadium — and against Rodriguez, assuming his appeal has not been heard and resolved — then alluded to Rodriguez telling Sports Illustrated last week that he “wants to be a role model”:

“All these press conferences, ‘Good Morning America’ and ‘20-20’ [appearances], enough of that, let’s just play some baseball and stop trying to be a role model,” Wilson said. “All those quotes are hilarious for everybody in our clubhouse.

“It’s a saga for Alex. Always has been. He’s been in the spotlight for 20 years, and nothing will change that. He has one of those polarizing personalities that people are going to be drawn to. People will think he’s a villain no matter what he does.”

Wilson, in the second year of a five-year, $77.5-million deal with the Angels, was a former teammate of Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz, who began serving a 50-game suspension Monday night.

Cruz said in a statement that he used performance-enhancing drugs as a way to gain some of the 40 pounds he lost because of a gastrointestinal infection before the 2012 season, but Wilson wasn’t in the mood for such excuses.

“I think the issue centers around greed,” Wilson said. “If anybody says it’s something else, they’re not telling the truth. The players want to do well because they want to get bigger contracts. That money they earn is tainted, just like their statistics are.

“We need the greed to stop. I’ve accepted the fact I’m not a $300-million player. God didn’t bless me with that. I’m dealing with regular-guy stuff and trying to compete, and that’s the way it is for the rest of the guys in this dugout. You’re dealt a certain hand and you have to play that. Stop being a baby and move on.”

ALSO:

Nelson Cruz, 11 others suspended by MLB

Alex Rodriguez suspended until the 2015 season

A look at the MLB players suspended in the Biogenesis scandal