Astros designated hitter/outfielder Yordan Alvarez has changed agencies and is now a client of MVP Sports Group, Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Alvarez just debuted last season, which went down as an AL Rookie of the Year-winning campaign, so he’s not eligible to reach arbitration or free agency in the near future. As such, Houston – which, thanks to its sign-stealing scandal from 2017, has far bigger fish to fry at the moment – doesn’t have to worry about losing Alvarez any time soon. However, barring an extension, Alvarez figures to consider making a case for rich arbitration paydays over the next couple years.
Although his career’s only 87 games old, Alvarez already looks like one of the premier hitters in baseball. The 22-year-old stepped to the plate 369 times in 2019 and batted a video game-like .313/.412/.655 with 27 home runs. Among those who amassed at least 350 PA, just one hitter – the venerable Mike Trout – outdid Alvarez’s 178 wRC+.
Alvarez’s change in representation will be reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains agent info on thousands of Major League and Minor League players. If you see any errors or omissions within, please let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
Going to be interested in watching how the Astros lineup fares this year. You know, the whole absolute lack of integrity and cheating thing.
Is anyone saying they cheated in 2019.
As far as cheating. The Astros title is not the only title tainted.
Red Sox 2007 with Manny Ramirez.
Yankees 2009 with A Rod.
Are you going to take those titles away? It’s over. People should remember, but it’s over.
Are you trying to compare a player using steroids against an entire organization gaining an avantage on what the opposing pitcher is about to throw ? Not even close to being the same your argument is extremely weak
Cheating is cheating is cheating.
You penalize players for things that they are individually culpable of. Any player that participated in cheating should be punished. whether it is Alex Rodriguez on the 2009 Yankees or the members of the Astros involved in the cheating scandal. Teams should be punished in addition for things that the entire team participated in. The Astros should suffer team penalties including losing their World Series title.
Unpaidobserver: For purposes of punishment, cheating is cheating, mostly. You can’t compare organizational successes when everyone in a lineup knows a pitch from the opposing team, by use of digitally enhanced spying, versus one guy using performance enhancing drugs. You shouldn’t be in this conversation if you can’t comprehend the difference.
List of New York Yankees players implicated in performance-enhancing drug use while playing on a World Series championship team since the 1996 season: Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Mike Stanton, Denny Neagle, Jason Grimsley, Jim Leyritz, Chuck Knoblauch, Jose Canseco, Glenallen Hill, David Justice, Alex Rodriguez. The Yankees were also fined for stealing signs using the YES Network cameras in…wait for it…2017. Yeah, I guess the beloved CC Sabathia forgot about that little detail when he was complaining about being “cheated” out of a title.
Implicated. Astros weren’t implicated in stealing signs. They stole signs. Big difference. Also, those players weren’t implicated in all of those years, as you IMPLY. This has to be the most misleading, dishonest statement I’ve read on the site ever. And that’s saying something.
@bobby clementhay
In 2017, a week after the Red Sox were caught stealing signs, they filed a complaint that the NYY were using the YES Network. It’s called deflection. The NYY fine that followed some time after, however, was for having a phone in the dugout. Not for using the YES Network. Not for stealing signs. You’re lying, again. I expect you to keep repeating your lie. That’s what liars do.
Look at the HUGE hits those players got in the playoffs those seasons.
I’d rather go up against a team using technology to steal signs. At least I have four home games and a way to combat it.
Teams used players that cheated. All three of those titles are tainted. Deal with it.
BOBBY, uh, nope that’s your opinion, based on no evidence for most of those names. Also, how can you say we should move on when you guys are bringing up the 96 Yankees? Lololol.
Also, you intentionally fail to address the other teams that played the Yankees with players who used PEDs to fit your incorrect narrative better. Just accept your team cheated to win, or they would’ve been beaten and move on.
Macstruts: who you would rather go against is irrelevant. And most honest people would say the opposite because PEDs don’t help you when you miss the ball, it just goes further when it’s hit. Pitchers playing soft toss is batting practice for these guys… and they still almost lost to the Yankees. Lol, that must burn.
There are things you can’t do unless the players union will allow you to do it.
Titles are tainted just the same. You shouldn’t be in this conversation if you can’t comprehend that.
The integrity of fair competition is the conversation. When players cheat, when teams cheat, you don’t have the integrity of competition.
Without the integrity of competition, the results are tainted. That’s not a difficult concept.
Nah, Macstruts lol that deflection was insane. I don’t think YOU should be in this conversation. Their opinion was valid, your opinion is just stupid.
Having a hard time admitting the Yankees championship is tainted?
I’d rather go up against a team where I can change my signs than a player who hit a chemically enhanced 429/567/952 and pretty much single handedly destroyed the Angels in the 2009 playoffs.
No contest. But it’s irrelevant. The Yankees 2009 title is tainted. PERIOD. The competition was unfair.
You’re in denial if you think it’s not tainted.
Murder is shoplifting is speeding.
Well, the Astros players cheated, so that’s not OK. But if a player on your team cheats, That’s OK.
Got it. You’re opinion isn’t valid
When the competition is unfair, it taints the outcome. It doesn’t take much common sense to realize that, but it does take some.
Murder is shoplifting is speeding… Huh?
Unfair competition is unfair competition. It’s not complex. Would the Yankees have won the 2009 World Series if A Rod didn’t cheat? Don’t know. Would the Astros have won the 2017 World Series without cheating… don’t know.
But both are examples of unfair competition, and when you have unfair competition, you have tainted results.
It’s not complex.
Macstruts: You changed the premise of your statements halfway through. I comprehend well what you said, but your overt bias renders all your opinions moot. You cannot have an honest conversation about this while desperately trying to draw in the ‘96 Yankees and an analogous advantage. Get out of the nineties, bro.
You’re wrong. All teams back then had PED users so Yankees had no distinct advantage over every team they faced, let alone their entire playbook of pitching.
Your desperation wreaks of ego and a fanatical necessity to prove the Yankees were the same as the Astros. Admit it, accept it, and be willing to move past it while learning from it.
And, stop using my sentences from my other posts to try to convey your point; it’s a bit tactless.
Macstruts: Also, Jonthunder is making your same argument as it applies to law violations. He’s saying they’re all violations of law but far from the same, and definitely don’t have the same impact on your record. Your position is they’re all the same and taint the individual’s records the same. Your logic didn’t work. You’re trying to jam a square peg in a round hole instead of simply admitting you see the point.
They played on the team in the WS years, and all of the other greats like Jeter, Rivera, Posada, etc. all “looked the other way” and did nothing to report or stop what was going on. And if you think my statement is “…the most misleading, dishones statement…”, then take it up with tne Mitchell Report because that information came directly from that document.
Mick, you’re confused. The 96 Yankees? Who is drawing out the 96 Yankees. Not me. You are mixing up posters.
A Rod cheated during the 2009 season. If he doesn’t cheat, there is a reasonable chance the Yankees don’t win the World Series. Those are just facts.
Ego? What does Ego have to do with facts. Facts are facts.
Players who cheated render their World Series tainted. We know A Rod cheated, Manny Ramirez cheated and their teams won the World Series. Nelson Cruz cheated, but Texas didn’t win the World Series. If they had, I would have said their World Series wins were tainted. If you can think of other players… fine. I’ll include them in the list.
If you want to say teams in the 90s and the start of the 2000 were dirty, fine. I don’t doubt it. I’m not going to argue. The first player suspended was 2005, I chose that as an arbitrary date, but you can choose whatever date you like. But to deny cheaters don’t taint World Series victories is denial.
If a players cheats, and affects the outcomes of games. I’m not sure how anyone can say the results of the contests, such as a World Series, are not tainted.
Personally, I don’t know how badly the Astros cheating affected the 2017 series. I don’t know how badly A Rod affected the postseason, or how badly Manny Ramirez affected the post season. I wouldn’t be surprised if all three actions were the difference between winning and losing. I consider them all tainted.
They cheated, the World Series are tainted, people should acknowledge it and move.on.
Clemens also pitched with the blue jays, Red Sox, Houston? Canseco with McGuire in Oakland then heads to Texas with arod and pudge. The whole steroid era was just terrible. You didn’t think tony la russa knew about what was going on in Oakland but is now a hall of fame? Did you know that willie mays sat in a interview with hank Aaron with bob costas that he admitted taking greenies(peds)? Or let’s go to another hall of famer like Gaylord perry who threw a spitball that was illegal to pitch in games. Cheating has been around in baseball for a while. It’s all how the owners and commissioner decide what to do with them. Look at Nelson Cruz he’s still hitting homeruns even though he gotten busted in that scandal like arod, I still call him a cheater, he shouldn’t be playing like the rangers went into the World Series in 2010 and 2011? But does one player change the way the teams play no, this isn’t the nba. There’s 25 man on the roster and one player isn’t going to change anything.
McGuire and concesco in the 80s on Oakland with hall of famer tony la russa? People ask him did he know what was going on and he deny it all until concesco came out and said something. Do you think Oakland will win their titles in the 80s and the cardinals in 06 and ‘11 having a guy like la russa knowing this. The whole steroid era started a whole new wave in 90s through 2000s nobody was clean. I felt David Ortiz and manny shouldn’t have their titles in those times. But it’s baseball we can go so far back on the whole subject in cheating. Like ty cobb was part of a scandal, a racist and one of the meanest ball players during his time and is still in the hall of fame?? Great hitter similar to Pete Rose but rose broke the oldest rule in the game of no betting , and he did it as a player and manager, thanks to that book.
Did they do it on every pitch in every game with every batter? Seems like
it would become obvious…..
exactly. how could Farquahar have been the only one able ti hear the cans?
The Astros are the new Patriots.
It’s really funny because no one mentions how glossed over the steroid bane has been. No firings, no penalties (sans a rod) I mean my god Selig got his ticket punched to Cooperstown.
It wasn’t Selig. It was Miller and Fehr. Did you watch the congressional hearings? It took an act of congress to get the players union to capitulate and even then Miller ripped Fehr for allowing it.
Well, this guy went 1 for 22 against the yankees.
It was proven the Astros stopped in 2018. We have had a year without cheating, and they went to the ws
It was proven they stopped? No, not really. There odds no evidence it continued – big difference.
It would be extremely naive to believe that having tasted success with stealing signs in previous years to 2019 that they would have suddenly stopped just because Cora and Beltran left the team….MLB has evidence that I don’t think they will share with us fans so its left up to us to dispute truth with conjecture as you have.
Look at away game stats moron. Still going to be the best lineup in baseball this year.
Sounds like another pissed off Astros fan….you should be….your team and the Red Sox put a stain on ML Baseball that will follow the game for years to come.
lsujedi
And look at the stats AFTER it was reported they started to cheat.
There is a significant home difference…. especially in the chase rate . I think you’re the moron.
If you think the Astros were the only team in 2017 stealing signs using centerfield cameras you’re naive. They just happen to be the team that got caught.
Mlb player Logan Morrison named a slew of teams doing the same exact thing –including the Yankees and Dodgers.
Might experience some regression once he no longer knows exactly which pitch is coming next.
If the ball is dejuiced things will also be interesting…..
nah, he’s an amazing DH for sure. Headed for a long career as a DH.
except for there’s no evidence that anything happened in 2019
When you cheat, you lose the benefit of the doubt and everything you achieve becomes tainted or, at least, suspect.
If you don’t want the asterisk, don’t cheat.
It’s easy enough.
he wasn’t even on the team in ’17 and you have no evidence it happened last year when he was, so stop the hyperbolic BS, that is dumb, you don’t get to claim he cheated when you have no evidence, I wish people could keep some perspective on this stuff instead of jumping to conclusions
If you want to give cheaters the benefit of the doubt, more power to you.
You can also believe liars and hand your keys to thieves, if you like.
Doesn’t mean the rest of us have to do the same.
If you don’t want the asterisk, don’t cheat.
Should they be called the Houston Asterisks now?
Yes
It’s not jumping to conclusions when they found evidence of a cheating culture through multiple seasons, which yielded millions in revenue and a WS. That’s called postulating facts existed where there’s evidence they existed. They didn’t stop because they realized it’s wrong, obviously. One would naturally assume that without pressure from an external force they would continue to cheat, because it’s how they won.
So being so biased and getting mad when people bring to legitimate points. Plus, you all say to do it yet you’re bringing up A-Rod? Nice job…
So you only believe a portion of the report? No evidence they cheated in 2019, like there was in 2017
There is a very wide perception that the Astros were cheating in 2019. It is very well documented that the Washington Nationals prepared extensively to combat Astros cheating in advance of the 2019 World Series. There is also a great deal of speculation that Jose Altuve knew the pitch and location that was coming when he walked off Aroldis Chapman to win the ALCS. You know, the high outside slider that the tiny contact hitter sold out on and PULLED over the stadium.
Links? Im interested in that first point. Your second point is just as wrong as it was a month ago though. Get over it or else learn baseball. You’re sitting on an Aroldis Chapman fastball instead of off speed? I don’t think so. I don’t know why you apparently would though.
Unless you have or can do the Vulcan mind meld with Altuve regarding his strategy in that at bat….guess we’ll never know.
Its certainly not beyond belief that Altuve would choose to sit off speed rather than sit on 100+ Heat in that at bat at that point in the game.
Lol. The only people I see saying that are fans…..
Nstale: You can’t have both. Your cannot agree with the sentiment that every team cheated, yet also say the Astros didn’t because there is no proof. It is flawed logic.
If he wants to be paid more, he could threaten retirement. Or go overseas.
Remember back in the day when players used to hold out for more money?
Fun times…..
Not an Astros fan but let’s get real – all teams do this or something similar, the Astros were just the first to get caught.
thank you totally agree, good to see someone with a functioning brain
NO, you’re both missing the point….there is acceptable cheating…stealing signs with runners on 2nd, catchers framing outside pitches and getting the strike calls, and then there is the out and out electronic cheating plan and implementation that the Astros used during the 2017, 2018, and most probably the 2019 season and the as yet to be defined extent the Red Sox did also under Cora’s watch….functioning brains have nothing to do with the extent and brazen way the Astros did it….why don’t you both get it!
Sounds like sour milk from 2 frustrated Astros and Red Sox fans who got caught with their hands in the cookie jar!
“They were already looting the store when I got there, so I grabbed some jewelry….and that makes it OK!!!!”
So youre saying something that’s inherently wrong and absolutely cheating, should stay wrong because “everyone” does it? (btw not everyone does it, other teams do, but not all 30). Dumbest take imaginable here.
Better idea: find the same kind of evidence the trashstros gave us all, and punish all offenders on every team based on said evidence??? This isn’t hard, you dummies. This is how you stop things from happening, it’s basic regular society stuff. Have you been outside before???
Strike Four: I wholeheartedly agree with each point (except the insult part). But I don’t know why everyone cannot just accept those facts. They’re documented and their answer is, “they didn’t cheat in 2019 because there’s no proof, but every other team is cheating,” although there’s no proof.
But a “functioning brain “ would know It’s counterintuitive. But, it fits their narrative.
Yup, and trusting the narrative of someone who has been busting for lying is???
All teams don’t do it. Players change teams all the time. You don’t think pitchers changing teams tell their new team that their prior teams are stealing signs.
The Astros were idiots to think they could get away with it.
The Astros would be idiots to think they would get away with it, unless everyone else is pretty much doing the same thing. Usually there’s safety in numbers… which is another reason why the players weren’t punished. And also the reason why Pete Rose continues to be bent over by MLB, he was the only one caught. I’m sure Verlander calling out the commissioner for juicing the balls at the All Star game was a factor, maybe the biggest factor in determining Luhnow and Hinch would be the fall guys for the players. Get your players in line or else!
I wonder if any Astros players who came on board full time, like Alvarez, after the proven cheating want out of town. I could see lots of people in the front office and around the management team wanting to get as far away from this disaster as possible.
Disaster heading back to the alcs. Well I guess that isn’t a disaster at all is it.
Right over your head huh? I’ll give you an example, how did Hudgens get a pass in the report when he was the hitting coach at the time? Because he probably was honest about his limited or non existent involvement. But what did he do before that? He took the Jays job. Probably to distance himself from this scandal. Make more sense now?
Jim crane said he wanted to move past this and that’s why he fired Hinch and Luhnow. Why is he keeping those players? They are the reminder. When they have a good game reporters are gonna ask who was giving them the signs and how? He should trade every player from those years who’s still on the team if he really wants to move past this
That’s a bit far fetched. As a Stros fan, yep they got hammered deservedly, but time to move on…
Yeah! They have had to suffer for a WHOLE 24 HOURS since their punishment has been announced! Time for everyone to move on and let it go! They have suffered enough. It’s not like they cheated another team and all of baseball out of a WORLD SERIES TITLE……right?
/rude noise
I think the best move MLB could have made would have been to do exactly what they did with Atlanta with their prospects, and make all trashstros participants in the 2017 WS free agents, and they cannot sign with the trashstros. Perfect penalty – and makes free agency even crazier.
Also they should be forced to change their name to the trashstros, and make their logo a garbage can, because that’s what they are to MLB.
Idiot
LSUJedi : did you read your above posts and just type the first thing that came to mind?
Alvarez didn’t cheat. He raked in the minors too with the juicy ball. Astros 2017 cheating scandal has nothing to do with Alvarez!
Thanks for the reminder…who said it did?
Home OPS: 1.140
Away OPS: .985
Yeah, he was pretty good. Ball was juiced and now there’s going to be a regression due to that for sure, but he’s more than likely an elite hitter (although a full time DH).
Did he really CHANGE representation? Did he have any representation to begin with? A lot of newly called up players don’t even have agents ahead of time.
Impeach the Astros.
THEN change representation.
Without trash can banging this guy is a bum.
This whole thing is garbage for as long as baseball existence they have been stealing signs and signaling from the dugout and now cause the use of technology and banging of some garbage cans it’s essentially the same thing and MLB knows about it and has done nothing till now and just like the whole steroid era they knew damn well about it but they needed these guys to turn the game around and when it was they turned the other way and ultimately got thrown under the bus.
Rules change. It use to be fine to throw a spit ball… now it’s cheating.
The commissioner made it very clear stealing signs using technology is cheating. There is no wiggle room. There is no debate. There is no ambiguity.
I don’t feel any differently about the steroid era. It was cheating. However, after watching the congressional hearings, it’s clear the fault lies with the players union and not baseball.
The 2016 Astros championship is not the only championship tainted. At this point, these tainted championships should be acknowledged and people need to move on.
Baseball needed these guys to keep hitting homers and mlb knew damn well they were on roids and turned the other cheek cause baseball was in a bad place
After watching Selig and Fehr in the congressional hearings and listening to Marvin Miller afterwards, it’s crystal clear that the players union wouldn’t allow drug testing. Selig instituted drug testing in the minor leagues but couldn’t get it past the players union.
Ueberroth pushed for it in the mid 80s but the union (Miller) stopped him cold.
Really dislike how these posts generally don’t say which agency the guy left, do not understand it at all…
You mean to say the Houston Trashtros
Houston Colt .45s. Mmmm Colt 45 beer.