Well that was some pretty shocking news to hear. So many ramifications to deal with.

When can he come back?

With 46 games remaining this will put Melky Cabrera out for the remainder of the season. that he can play in the playoffs should the Giants make it but will have to sit out the first five games.

The Giants would have to go without an empty roster spot in the event that they would want him to be able play which would be a hard thing to justify. Maybe without the need for an extra pitcher they could justify that, at this point it is still a very open question.

How does this effect the Giants chances to make the playoffs?

Cabrera was the second most valuable player on the Giants and taking him out of the lineup is a huge blow to the offense that was just starting to come together. ZiPS projects him to be worth nearly a full win over the Giants remaining games. His replacement is likely Gregor Blanco or maybe Brett Pill, neither of them should be expected to come close to replacing what was lost.

With the Giants tied with the Dodgers for first place, this makes the NL West even more wide open. The one saving grace is that the Giants have a slightly easier schedule down the stretch. Regardless this really hurts the Giants playoff chances.

How much did he just cost him self in free agency?

This one is something that doesn't have a lot of comparable situations to look at. Dave Cameron did look a little bit at this and guessed that he might take a 1 year deal to try to reestablish his value. He went from looking at a deal in excess of $50 million to not knowing who will be willing to give him a shot. Who knows what will happen but it will be interesting to see.

This is the biggest PED case to happen to a guy looking to sign a big contract in his prime years.

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