Guillen and Gibbons drug bans put on hold

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The 15-day suspensions imposed on Kansas City's Jose Guillen and Baltimore's Jay Gibbons have been put on hold, Major League Baseball (MLB) said on Friday.

The bans are on hold for 10 days while changes in the league's drug policy are being negotiated.

The two outfielders were initially suspended in December for violating MLB's joint drug prevention and treatment program.

The 2008 season was kick-started in Tokyo by Boston and Oakland this week but for the other 28 teams Opening Day is on Sunday or Monday.

Team owners and the players' union have been negotiating an agreement to strengthen existing rules for performance-enhancing drug use by players. A deal could be agreed as early as Sunday, MLB said on its Web site (www.mlb.com).

Talks have been ongoing since former Senator George Mitchell released his report on December 13 that indicated widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs in recent years.

Existing penalties call for a 50-game ban for a first positive test, 100 for a second and a lifetime ban for a third, with the right to apply for reinstatement after two years.

The suspensions of Guillen and Gibbons pre-dated the Mitchell Report.

(Writing by Larry Fine; Editing by Tony Jimenez)