Alex Rodriguez Reportedly Has A Monday Deadline To Accept MLB's Deal And Avoid A Lifetime Ban

Streeter Lecka/Getty ImagesThe Alex Rodriguez suspension saga will end no later than Monday, the Associated Press reports.

MLB has given all players connected to Biogenesis, including Rodriguez, a Monday deadline to accept their suspensions.

The league is believed to be prepared to ban A-Rod from the sport for life if he doesn't accept a deal. Reports on Wednesday night suggested Rodriguez's camp was willing to cave and make a deal, but we haven't heard anything about it since.

MLB seems to have two main motivations here:

• They want players to accept their suspensions without entering into a long and litigious appeals.
• They want to time the suspensions so players on possible playoff teams (Nelson Cruz of the Rangers, for example) can serve their 50-game suspensions and return in time for the playoffs.

Earlier this week everyone was reporting that there was a Friday deadline to announce the suspensions. So take all this with a grain of salt.