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Although Robinson Cano is ready to return from an 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs Kolten Wong Jersey , his comeback is doomed to be short-lived. Even if the Seattle Mariners qualify for the postseason, Cano will be ineligible to participate.Meanwhile, in Houston, Roberto Osuna is fresh off a 75-game banfor violating Major League Baseball'sdomestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. And he's ready, willing and permitted to help the Astros win a second straight World Series championship.Something seems wrong, no?If the question is how much cynicism MLB is willing to tolerate, there is.For their part, Cano and the Mariners would undoubtedly love to be together if the team does indeed make its first postseason since 2001. He betrayed everyone's trust when he got popped for using a banned masking agent,but he's still a $240 million megastar who had been going strong (see his .825 OPS) even at the age of 35.However, this isn't about what's best for Cano and the Mariners.Mark Cunningham/Getty ImagesAlong with harsher regular-season penalties, postseasonbans became an official part of MLB's and the MLB Players Association's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program in 2014. That promised an additional blow to violators' wallets. It would also bar them from redemption on baseball's biggest stage."Our hope here is that the adjustments that we鈥檝e made do inevitably get [the number of violators] to zero," said MLBPA chief Tony Clark, per the Associated Press (via theNew York Times). He added: "I am hopeful that players make the right decisions that are best for them, for their careers and for the integrity of the game."Clark may be getting his wish.Per Baseball-Almanac.com, there were 21 PED suspensions in 2012 and 2013 alone. There have been only 22 since 2014. Not surprisingly, none of the players involved was traded to a contender later in a given season.Which brings us back to Osuna and a cringe-worthy situation that might be avoided in the future.Since the details of his case are being kept under wraps, only so much is known about how, exactly, the former Toronto Blue Jays right-hander has found himself in hot water. But there is a clear timeline:May 8:Osuna isarrested and charged with assault of a female victimMay 17: According toVjosa Isai and Wendy Gillisof theToronto Star,Osuna is ordered to stay away from a specific Toronto building, not communicate with his alleged victim and not consume alcohol or possess weaponsJune 18:Osuna's attorney, Domenic Basile, confirms to Betsy Powell of Star that the charge revolves around an "alleged domestic abuse" for which Osunawill plead not guiltyJune 22:MLB concludes its investigation, and Commissioner Rob Manfred hands Osuna the third-longest suspension under its domestic violence policy Trevor Rosenthal Jersey , which went into effect August 2015July 30:Following supposed "unprecedented" due diligence, the Astrosacquire Osuna from the Blue JaysAugust 6:Osuna returns to the moundWhile Osuna's suspension is over, his criminal case is not.According to Matt Young of theHouston Chronicle, the All-Star closer has a court date in Toronto on Sept. 5. Basile plans to seek a postponement and a "peace bond," which would result in the charges being dropped in exchange for Osuna's promise that he will stay on good behavior.If that doesn't pan out, things will proceed and possibly result in Osuna being convicted and/orbarred entry from the United States.In the meantime, the Astros have a public relations nightmare on their hands.There's no taking issue with the actual content of the trade. Houston only sent three spare assets (right-handers Ken Giles, David Paulino and Hector Perez) to Toronto in exchange for Osuna, who's still only 23 and under team control through 2020.Still, general manager Jeff Luhnow sought to get out ahead of the inevitable backlash. Thus came astatement that expressed confidence that "Osuna is remorseful" and that he'll "fully comply with our zero tolerance policy related to abuse of any kind."Luhnow's bit on "zero tolerance" was rightfully panned as being blatantly disingenuous, however. The bit about Osuna being remorsefulearned a pointed clarification from Basile. Via ESPN's Buster Olney:Buster Olney Buster_ESPNRoberto Osunas lawyer speaking about the word quot;remorsefulquot; that was used by the Astros in reference to their new reliever: quot;My client is not remorseful of being guilty of any criminal activity,quot; Basile said Wednesday. quot;Hes obviously remorseful of the circumstances.quot;Luhnow may have been hoping that his team and its fans would graciously accept Osuna, but there's been some hesitance for both. Ace pitcher Justin Verlander referred to the trade as a "tough situation." When one female fan expressed her frustration on social media, the reaction was swift and severe."Astros fans have always stuck together," the fan told Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle. "It was crazy to see how this trade tore them apart a little. Everyone took a side."But then, it's doubtful that Luhnow and the rest of Houston's decision-makers ever thought everything would be hunky-dory after they went ahead with the trade. Or even cared, for that matter.They're poker-faced pragmatists whose chief concern is winning another World Series.Since there's no guarantee that Osuna's legal situation will keep him on the field beyond 2018, that was almost certainly the Astros' primary motivation in trading for himnow rather than waiting until after he had cleared his suspension and/or his name. If it ends with Osuna getting the last out in the World Series, they're not going to be quick to regret it.This isn't the first situation of its kind that MLB has encountered in the years since it implemented its domestic policy. That distinction belongs to Aroldis Chapman, who still bears a scarlet letter after his girlfriend told police he choked her during an argument inOctober 2015.But even with him, there's no comparison to Osuna.Elsa/Getty ImagesChapman hadn't been charged when the New Yankees first acquiredhim from the Cincinnati Reds in December 2015, and he ultimately never was. And while the Chicago Cubs eventually traded for him in July and he helped them win their first World Series in 108 years, that was after the flame-throwing lefty had already served a30-game suspension.Granted, Major League Baseball may never be able to implement a perfect domestic violence policy鈥擣anGraphs' Sheryl Ring wrote an excellent rundown of the complications on that front. But for the sake of its reputation with the legions of baseball fans withactualzero tolerance policies for such matters, theunparalleled cynical nature of the Osuna trade should have the league scrambling to try to do better.Given the latest circumstances http://www.stlouiscardinalsteamshop.com/authentic-jedd-gyorko-jersey , the most apparent way to do that is by copying the postseason ban portion of the Joint Drug Agreement and pasting it onto the domestic violence policy. If it must only come in tandem with a specific regular-season suspension threshold鈥攕ay, 50 games鈥攖hen so be it.If nothing else, it would add another layer of deterrence for players. It could also help prevent trades like one that sent Osuna to Houston, in which the acquiring team elevates baseball matters above basic human decency.Understand, this isn't about drawing a moral equivalence between the transgressions of Cano and Osuna.Assuming hisexcuseof trying to treat a medical condition is as bunk as it sounds, Cano was only trying to improve his ability to entertain. He just didn't do so in a way that MLB has deemed appropriate.Relative to that, an alleged act of violence against another human being is more severe.Ultimately, this is about what MLB must do to be both a lucrative institution and one that its fans can be proud of. To this end, more compassion and a little consistency would be a good start. PHOENIX — After signing Zack Greinke in late 2015, the Arizona Diamondbacks made a trade designed to turn them into an instant contender. It did not work as intended, but Atlanta is not complaining. The Braves acquired Ender Inciarte and Dansby Swanson, adding them to a group of veterans and up-and-coming young players who helped make the Braves relevant again.Article continues below ...After finishing a combined 71 games below .500 in the previous three seasons, the Braves have a 3 1/2-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East entering the final game of a four-game series on Sunday in Arizona.Inciarte and Swanson — the principles sent from Arizona to Atlanta for right-hander Shelby Miller in a deal that was widely panned at the time — have helped. Inciarte leads the Braves and is fifth in the NL with 25 stolen bases. Swanson has 55 RBIs for a team that is second in the NL in runs.Miller has missed most of the last two seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery.Swanson threw out the potential tying run at the plate in the Braves’ 5-4, 10-inning victory on Saturday. “Everybody knows the last couple of years have not been the best around here, but to be in this situation now is great,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said. “I’ve been through it all, so this is great when you start winning again. It is kind of like when I just got called up. We were winning all the time. We have the right group of people in this clubhouse to hopefully carry us into the postseason.”Another former Diamondbacks prospect, right-hander Touki Toussaint (1-1), is scheduled to make his third career start Sunday opposite Arizona left-hander Robbie Ray (5-2) as the teams shoot for a series split.Toussaint, like Swanson a Diamondbacks first-round draft pick, was traded to Atlanta in mid-2015 along with veteran right-hander Bronson Arroyo and his $9.5 million contract when management ordered a payroll cut.“It feels great to be a part of this,” Enciarte said. “The goal is to play meaningful games in September. You see new guys, but you see everybody developing quick. It wasn’t bad years at all.“I know the Diamondbacks are in a great position. We are in a good position, too. Both teams are winning, and I know we are happy with what we have. We don’t look back on what happened because we believe everything happens for a reason. We’re here where we want to be Carlos Martinez Jersey , and we want to be a part of this for a long time.”The Diamondbacks begin a seven-game road trip with the opener of a four-game series in Colorado on Monday, part of a schedule that could include a major league-record 17 straight games against division leaders. They play Colorado twice, Houston and the Chicago Cubs in the next two weeks.“September baseball, when you are in a pennant race is pressure enough,” Arizona manager Torey Lovullo said.“So I don’t want any situation to override how they perform. How do I do that? Different ways with different guys. Distract them. Make them smile. Make them laugh. Make them remember how good they are and how fun the game is when you are doing your job.”Atlanta has seven games remaining against Philadelphia and three against St. Louis.Ray, who has a 4.25 ERA in 19 starts, gets the start after his most effective outing of the season, a 6-0 victory in which he struck out 10 and gave up two singles in 6 1/3 scoreless innings.“My last two starts are about as mechanically sound as I’ve felt all year,” Ray said. “It’s a combination of my direction to the plate and my tempo. Just getting the ball back, getting back on the mound and going. I think that’s the biggest thing, not too much time between pitches.” Ray, who missed two months because of an oblique injury, is 2-0 with a 1.02 ERA in his last three starts. He had a good feel for his curveball in the victory over the Padres.“I think I have thrown it more often lately because it is a pitch I feel I can also land (in the strike zone) but also bounce,” Ray said.Ray has lost both of his career starts against Atlanta with a 4.82 ERA.Toussaint beat Miami in his first major league start on Aug. 13 and lost his most recent, an 8-2 defeat to Boston last Sunday in which gave up three runs and struck out six in 4 2/3 innings. He threw four scoreless innings before the Red Sox knocked him out in the fifth.“I haven’t liked him, I’ve loved him,” Atlanta manager Brian Snitker said.“He’s very impressive young man. Very impressive player. Carries himself very well. Love his assortment. His arsenal is very good. He’s a very athletic kid. He’s handled himself tremendous in the two starts he’s hard here.” Toussaint was 9-6 in 24 minor league starts this season, going 5-0 with a 1.43 ERA in eight starts with Triple-A Gwinnett.He has not appeared fazed by being thrust into a pennant race.“He faced the best team in baseball the other day and did a really good job,” Snitker said. “The maturity, the game awareness, how he’s handled himself. The whole thing has been very impressive.”