The Houston Astros sign stealing saga could be the biggest scandal in baseball in the past century.
Not since the 1919 Black Sox has there been a bigger scandal in the game of baseball. Flash forward to 2019 and the Houston Astros might just take the mantle. Mike Fiers, the former Astros pitcher dropped a bombshell that the ballclub stole signs from a camera positioned in the center field at Minute Maid Park.
Historically, the 2017 Houston Astros is considered a blueprint to the modern era of a small market building itself through the farm system to then becoming the World Series Champion. However, the clock has struck midnight on this storied run as new allegations have hit franchise just a month after their loss to the Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series.
The story of the Astros alleged cheating came about via The Athletic. Since the article by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich has been released, the League, the sports new outlets have now run away with this story and won’t end anytime soon. Especially when now you have Jomboy with a keen ear and eye to validate some suspicious activity with this franchise.
Each day, new evidence is presented that makes the case hard to look the other way and even defend the Houston Astros at this point. If you’re a fan of the other 29 teams, a purist or just an enthusiast of the game, you should pay attention to this situation and be rather bothered. Here are the reasons why.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Questions the Integrity of the game
MLB prides itself on maintaining the integrity of the game. Hearing that one of the most potentially innovative baseball franchises could be guilty of such allegations is disheartening. The first question that comes to mind when faced with such a question of infidelity is not what was done, but how long has this action been going on? What teams missed out on the playoffs because they had to go against this team?
The possibilities are endless to the extent this team made to make the run to the playoffs. Imagine how the Dodgers feel if this cheating made its way all the way to the world series. Until Rob Manfred gets to the bottom of this investigation, you will see a boatload of fans look upon this entire situation with skepticism until the final day.
How do you punish them?
Sports radio and TV have been pressing about the extent of punishment for this team. Exactly how do you punish them? Draft picks seem too light and stripping away a title seems too extreme. Cheating to gain an advantage, and, even more so, to win a title is a serious claim made against a team. On the other hand, they have to be made an example of in regards to making sure other teams do not take the same path to win a title.
Draft picks in baseball are not the same in the NFL. Even the top picks are sent to the minors, and the vast majority of players selected do not pan out. At the end of the day, prospects are a toss up so are they really being affected? Maybe, but the damage is done. Yankees and Dodgers fans are gathering their pitchforks and torches, but for the rest of the league? Who knows. One thing is for certain and that is that no one will envy Manfred at this moment.
What does this mean for the rest of the League?
To what extent does this cheating go to? Keep in mind there are people who have worked in this organization that have been hired and will continue to? What to make of their involvement in this? Whether people want to acknowledge it or not this changes everything. Right now no one wants to touch the Astros with a 20 ft pole, especially free agents this offseason, unless they wish to be involved in the drama at hand.
Where do we go from here?
Like most things that require investigations, this is not over with by a longshot. The 2017 Houston Astros can’t be looked at in the same light that they were two years ago. Every time there will be a question about when this alleged cheating began and when it ended. Who lost their jobs because of this and who was hired because of this. As the offseason draws on be prepared to see more fallout because of this. Where there is smoke…there is definitely fire.