The panel deciding on Josh Hamilton’s discipline reached an impasse:

The commissioner’s office and the MLB Players Association each appointed a lawyer and a physician to the committee, which determines whether the drug policy was violated and a course of treatment, according to the Times report.

The committee deadlocked on the course of treatment, necessitating the involvement of the arbitrator, the source told the Times.

On Friday, a source told ESPN’s Tim Keown that Hamilton’s relapse involved alcohol and a one-time use of cocaine, and that when Hamilton realized a drug test, which is administered three times a week, would come out positive, he self-reported his relapse.

It’s not clear to me who will argue the case. Will it be Hamilton directly, or will this be between the sides on the panel, MLB and the MLBPA? A rehabilitation will cost Hamilton less than a suspension.