Breaking: Ryan Braun suspension: What does it mean for Jesus Montero?

In case you missed it, Ryan Braun got slapped with a suspension for his connection to the Biogenesis clinic this afternoon. He'll miss the rest of the season (without pay) and then will start 2014 with a clean slate. It's a pretty sweet deal for Braun, assuming he knew doomsday was coming. He'll get an extended vacation from a last place team, he's the first one to get nailed, and he can simply disappear now. Alex Rodriguez will probably get tagged soon, and then the rest of the hammers will begin to fall (so much for that report that no suspensions were coming until 2014). He's still going to make $127 million.

The reason this pertains to the Mariners is clear. Jesus Montero has been mentioned in connection with Biogenesis, and now that suspensions have begun, it's time for everyone involved to investigate a resolution of Montero's case immediately. Montero has feigned claimed innocence, but in all honesty, there's a very high probability that he's guilty. It's been a lost season for Montero, and he's now stuck in the minors learning a new position and learning how to hit. There's no better time for him to serve a suspension, and enter 2014 with a fresh start of his own.

Dave Cameron suggested something similar on a league-wide scale.

If I was a GM with a player linked to BioGenesis and I wasn't contending, I'd be pushing very hard for them to make a similar deal.

— David Cameron (@DCameronFG) July 22, 2013

Manny Ramirez was allowed to serve out his 50 game suspension in part at AAA when he was with Oakland. Even though Montero has been since banished to the minors, his connection comes from when he was an MLB player. Will he receive an MLB level suspension for it, even if his current status is in the minors? If he's allowed to serve it out in AAA, it wouldn't hurt Montero very much, given his current status, far away from the Mariners big league radar. It'll be interesting to see what the league has in mind for this unique situation. Would they pass a suspension down to his current level of employment? A big league punishment really doesn't harm Montero all that much unless he can't play, other than putting him on the list for a bigger and badder suspension the next time around. Manny got to play for a bit, but it was disguised as a rehab assignment. I don't know. This one is weird. Whatever it is, it's best to get it resolved.

The Mariners are pretty much at rock bottom with Montero as it is. It would seem prudent to chalk this up to a lost season and let him spend the remainder of the season working on fundamentals and gaining experience at first base, if he can. Start 2014 clean with zero expectations. It could also be the wake-up call Montero desperately needs.