Power-hitting outfielder Jose Guillen bought nearly $20,000 worth of steroids and human growth hormone from 2003-05, the San Francisco Chronicle reported yesterday.
Former major leaguers Matt Williams and Ismael Valdez also purchased performance-enhancing drugs, in 2002, from a Florida anti-aging clinic that was raided in February as part of an investigation by the Albany, N.Y., district attorney into alleged illegal drug sales, the newspaper said.
Major League Baseball began testing for steroids in 2003; HGH was banned in January 2005.
The Chronicle received details of the orders in records from a source the newspaper didn't identify. Those records contained shipping and purchase orders, payment information, and Social Security numbers, the paper said.
A report by former Senate majority leader George Mitchell into the use of performance-enhancing substances in baseball is expected before the end of the year. An unidentified active player has agreed to speak with Mitchell, SI.com reported yesterday.
Guillen, 31, spent last season with Seattle, batting .290 with 23 homers, and 99 RBIs.
Last week, the Mariners declined their $9 million option on Guillen's contract for next season. He, in turn, declined his $5 million option, and will receive a $500,000 buyout. Guillen can now file for free agency.
Williams was a five-time All-Star during his 17-year major league career (1987-2003). He was playing for Arizona in 2002 when records indicate he purchased $11,600 worth of growth hormone, steroids, and other drugs.
The Chronicle reported that Williams said a doctor advised him to try growth hormone to heal a severe ankle injury during spring training in 2002.
Valdez pitched for seven teams during a 12-year career that ended in 2005. The newspaper said records show he purchased $11,300 worth of performance-enhancing drugs in 2002 after he was traded from Texas to Seattle.
Records indicate that some prescriptions were written by a Florida dentist whose license later was suspended for fraud and incompetence, the newspaper reported.
