McGwire admits steroid use

In a statement released to the Associated Press today, Mark McGwire admitted steroid use during his career. Here is what the statement said:

"Now that I have become the hitting coach for the St. Louis Cardinals, I have the chance to do something that I wish I was able to do five years ago.

I never knew when, but I always knew this day would come. It's time for me to talk about the past and to confirm what people have suspected. I used steroids during my playing career and I apologize. I remember trying steroids very briefly in the 1989/1990 off season and then after I was injured in 1993, I used steroids again. I used them on occasion throughout the '90s, including during the 1998 season.

I wish I had never touched steroids. It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never played during the steroid era.

During the mid-'90s, I went on the DL seven times and missed 228 games over five years. I experienced a lot of injuries, including a ribcage strain, a torn left heel muscle, a stress fracture of the left heel, and a torn right heel muscle. It was definitely a miserable bunch of years and I told myself that steroids could help me recover faster. I thought they would help me heal and prevent injuries, too.

I'm sure people will wonder if I could have hit all those home runs had I never taken steroids. I had good years when I didn't take any and I had bad years when I didn't take any. I had good years when I took steroids and I had bad years when I took steroids. But no matter what, I shouldn't have done it and for that I'm truly sorry.

Baseball is really different now - it's been cleaned up. The commissioner and the players' association implemented testing and they cracked down, and I'm glad they did.

I'm grateful to the Cardinals for bringing me back to baseball. I want to say thank you to Cardinals owner Mr. DeWitt, to my GM, John Mozeliak, and to my manager, Tony La Russa. I can't wait to put the uniform on again and to be back on the field in front of the great fans in Saint Louis. I've always appreciated their support and I intend to earn it again, this time as hitting coach. I'm going to pour myself into this job and do everything I can to help the Cardinals hitters become the best players for years to come.

After all this time, I want to come clean. I was not in a position to do that five years ago in my congressional testimony, but now I feel an obligation to discuss this and to answer questions about it. I'll do that, and then I just want to help my team."

Red Sox sign Adrian Beltre, Mike Lowell trade inevitable

Peter Gammons is reporting that the Red Sox have agreed to terms with 3B Adrian Beltre on a 1 year contract worth $9 million with a player option for $5 million. The deal is contingent on a physical.

Though he is coming off a down year offensively with the Seattle Mariners, Beltre, 30, is considered an elite defender at third base, having won the American League Gold Glove Award for his position in 2007 and '08.

And what about Mike Lowell, who has been Boston's primary third baseman since 2006? Last month, the Red Sox had a deal in place to send Lowell to the Texas Rangers, but the trade fell through for medical reasons.

Lowell underwent surgery last week to repair the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb. His recovery is expected to be six to eight weeks, putting the veteran in position to be ready near the start of Spring Training. It is unclear if the Red Sox will be able to trade Lowell until he proves his health in Grapefruit League games.

Then again, there's a chance Lowell could be dealt before Spring Training. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com posted on Twitter on Monday night that the Red Sox have spoken to the Mets about a potential Lowell-Luis Castillo trade.

With the addition of Beltre, the question is not if Mike Lowell is going to be traded, but when.