Major League Baseball has announced the suspensions and punishments towards the Houston Astros organization after the investigation for sign-stealing. Commissioner Rob Manfred released a statement, detailing the investigation, the findings, and the discipline being handed out for the issues. The organization has been awaiting a decision for some time now; following the conclusion of this investigation; attention turns to the Boson Red Sox. Alex Cora was exempt from any discipline with this investigation by Major League Baseball, but will most likely see harsh punishment after the league’s investigation of the Red Sox. Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic were all over the suspension when the news broke on social media, Jeff Passan of ESPN also was quick to report firings, suspensions, and other details.
The investigation revealed a ton of details about the incidents from 2017 where the Houston Astros took home the World Series championship. To sum things up from the commissioner’s statement, it was a player-driven movement that was spearheaded by Cora and the players. A monitor, smartwatches, banging bat on a trashcan, whistling, and gestures were how the Astros managed to steal sign sequences. Evidence is all over the internet and easily accessible on social media, but it was manager AJ Hinch who acted blind to the situation, knowing of what happened but never audibly voicing his disapproval. Hinch claims to have physically damaged the monitor used to show his disapproval, but investigators said in Manfred’s report that Hinch never told the Cora or the players to stop the use of the monitor.
BREAKING: Houston Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch have been suspended for one year after an MLB investigation found the team used technology to cheat during its World Series-winning 2017 season, sources familiar with the punishment tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
Additionally, MLB will fine the Astros $5 million and take away their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
Luhnow has consistently claimed to be innocent, not knowing of the cameras, monitors, and sign stealing debacle, evidence from the investigation says otherwise. Luhnow may not have known entirely, but Manfred’s statement explicitly said that Luhnow had a brief knowledge but failed to pay enough attention to it. Failure to act on the situation is the driving force behind the discipline from Manfred for both Luhnow and Hinch. Astros Owner Jim Crane accepted the punishments, hoping to get things back on track and start fresh for the sake of the organization.
Discipline From The Investigation:
- Astros forfeit their regular first-round and regular second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 First-Year Amateur Drafts
- Astros organization must pay $5 million to the commissioner’s office
- Former General Manager Jeff Luhnow is suspended from Major League Baseball from January 13th, 2020 until the 2020 World Series has concluded
- Former Manager AJ Hinch is suspended from Major League Baseball from January 13th, 2020 until the 2020 World Series has concluded
- Former Assistant GM Brandon Taubman has been placed on Major League Baseball’s ineligible list
Things to Note
If the Astros were to lose their first-round draft picks in either 2020 or 2021, they will still lose a total of two picks. The draft order removes the Astros with everyone else picking one slot higher for the first two rounds. Under the Major League Constitution, $5 million is the maximum fine that Manfred can hand out to an organization, which shows the severity of the events that transpired. Though this was a player-driven scheme, Manfred explained that it would be near impossible to discipline all of them
Jim Crane just fired Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2020
Following the announcement from Major League Baseball and Manfred regarding the Astros punishments, the Astros held a press conference regarding the matter. Astros owner, Crane, took the stage and swiftly announced that the organization is parting ways with both Jeff Luhnow and AJ Hinch, starting things with a clean slate. The team will search for a GM hire from the group of capable personnel within the organization, and bench coach Joe Espada will be the interim manager.
What Now?
Now the attention of baseball turns to the 2018 World Series Champions and manager who are now being investigated. With Cora slated to have the worst of the punishments, Major League Baseball had officially begun its investigation into the Red Sox and their sign-stealing and illegal use of electronics to aid this process. The league clearly (as illustrated in the statement) made changes to the league’s policies on electronic usage by each club. However, this was in 2017, 2018, and 2019, in the wake of these findings, Manfred may make even more changes to league policies after the investigation of the Red Sox.
