The reputations and Hall of Fame candidacies of several players – not just on the Houston Astros – are tarnished after the sign-stealing scandal.
The sign-stealing scandal ripping through MLB has already claimed several very prominent casualties. Three managers and one general manager have lost their jobs. Beyond that, the report covering illegal activities involving the Houston Astros isn’t the end of the story. Commissioner Rob Manfred’s office is also investigating similar allegations involving the 2018 World Series-winning Boston Red Sox.
We don’t know when that report will be released, but we can be sure that when it is it won’t be good news for the Red Sox.
The casualty rate from this scandal began to pile up with the report’s release. Manfred suspended both Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager A.J. Hinch through the 2020 World Series. That news had barely begun to sink in when Astros owner Jim Crane announced the firing of both men.
One day later, Boston Red Sox officials announced that they had “mutually parted ways” with that team’s manager, Alex Cora, who as bench coach for the 2017 Astros was identified as a key figure in the development of the sign-stealing process.
Then on Thursday, the Mets made a similar announcement with respect to their newly hired manager, Carlos Beltran, a player on the 2017 Houston Astros identified as an instigator of the idea.
Do not be lulled into the idea that the carnage is now over. Moving forward, several others are likely to feel the pain of their involvement in this business, some soon and some down the road.
Here’s a look ahead at who still stands to be casualties…and why.