After a long wait, we finally learned of the official outcome of the Red Sox sign-stealing investigation. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred docked the team its 2020 second-round pick. He also suspended the club’s replay coordinator, J.T. Watkins, after determining that Watkins had at times used a TV feed during games to figure out an opponents’ signs and then conveyed that information to “a limited number of Red Sox players,” who could then attempt to apply it if they reached second base. There was evidently no evidence of a broader effort by team leadership, which (per Manfred) had in fact “consistently communicated MLB’s sign-stealing rules to non-player staff and made commendable efforts toward instilling a culture of compliance in their organization.”
Manfred took a much harsher view of the conduct of the Astros, whose World Series-winning 2017 club was judged to have engaged in a broad-based, long-running, and rather expansive effort to ascertain signs and convey them in real time to batters. The Houston organization was docked four top draft choices and $5MM, while its manager and general manager were hit with year-long suspensions.
A slightly lesser (season-long) ban has now been applied to former Astros bench coach and Red Sox manager Alex Cora, though Manfred made clear it was for his conduct while in Houston. Cora lost his job in Boston over the offseason after the Astros fired A.J. Hinch and Jeff Luhnow. Former Astros player Carlos Beltran also departed his managerial gig with the Mets before it really even started.
Since the actions against Cora didn’t stem from his time with the Red Sox, it wasn’t really part of the punishment. The team will have to fill in for Watkins, though that action was obviously targeted primarily at him personally. As for the lost draft pick, Manfred made clear he levied the punishment because the Red Sox may have benefited, not because of any organizational failing.
When we polled the MLBTR readership on Manfred’s handling of the Astros case, most felt it was either on the mark or too light. How do you feel about his actions with regards to the Red Sox? (Poll link for app users; response order randomized.)
Off with their heads!
send them to gulag!
10 years in gulag! HARD LABOR!
Maybe they’ll be lucky and run into to Captain Price while they’re in there.
Get the tar pitchforks and feathers!
They make tar pitchforks? Ouch
That’s so they don’t slip out of your hands like what happened to Oliver Wendell Douglas.
RIP Eb
Dance till you’re dead!
Didn’t Manfred say that there would be severe consequences for anyone caught using technology to cheat again, last time they got caught?
Here comes the idiots saying “too light” when they undoubtedly didn’t even read the report. MLB had literally no evidence of anything, and what they claimed was so minor it’s unbelievable it got to this point.
Exactly. Watkins denied any wrongdoing. A few players say they suspected or had an “indication” he did some in game decoding. Weak, weak, weak. Punishment given was only because of reaction to Astros’ penalties. Manfred said, even without immunity, no players on Red Sox would have been suspended. They did nothing.
Lmao no players suspended for the red Sox….no players were suspended from the astros….that’s not saying much.
Here comes the “people have a different opinion than I do so they must be idiots” that seems to come with every decision ever made in this day and age.
Just compare to Braves pinishment for a much lesser offense. Manfred takes care of home teams. Needs to be fired.
If you honestly think that the Braves offenses were less than the Red Sox, you REALLY need to brush up on the Braves incident. NOT EVEN CLOSE. Also didn’t help the Braves that their GM Coppallela lied to investigators every step of the way, while the Red Sox personnel were up front and honest
If the commissioner gave Coppallela immunity I am sure he would have sung like a canary.
Players cheated.
Any players that cheat should be given the hammer regardless of severity. Well he kind of cheated well they really cheated….no. they cheated and were caught doing so.
Punishment should be universal. Any player caught cheating should be suspended 1 season first time, banned second time.
For the team. Should have the players salary reduce the luxury tax line for them by that amount for a season first time, 5 seasons second time, removal of draft picks for each cheater starting with the first.
Only way to stop teams trying to cheat is mess the players and teams up.
Well you let us all know when you’re done with your investigation into the rest of the teams in MLB so you can let us know how many hundreds of players need to be suspended for the season. Guess we won’t have a baseball this year!
Or are we just going to punish the Red Sox and Astros and ignore the well-known fact that this was a widespread issue throughout the league in one form of another?
We can use Big Papi’s investigator who is investigating how he tested positive for PEDs. He’s thorough. Look how long he’s taking with the BIG Papi PED investigation. He’s good.
lol! and the biggest head in baseball was treated like god. vote bonds in!
“There are lots of us doing it, so that means it can’t be wrong!” I hear that is what NAMBLA members tell each other at their meetings.
Bravo Jambia…that wad so inappropriate i peed myself a little laughing.
My above comment was aimed at you KCJ, for trying to excuse cheating by saying everyone does it.
Jah mess em up! Mess em up good
Agreed
Lol. Here’s a guy who thinks he’s clever even though he doesn’t even know the basics of the 03’ testing. Great job being “that guy”.
The positive test in 03, using the same ped dealing doctor as A-rod, the head doubling in size, leading the league in slugging at age 41, the admissions that he got mailed test results constantly when you only get mailed positive test results…….
There’s far more evidence of Artificially Big Papi being a massive roider than just the 03 test, which he failed despite knowing it was coming and with a hat size much smaller than when he retired.
Cool story bro. Too bad none of that is accurate. I’m sure that make no difference to you though.
Angels fans love to inject their opinion into things since there’s nothing to talk about on their team except for Mike Trout
Why are people who believe the Red Sox punishment was too light idiots? I think a large majority of baseball fans and players will agree, as demonstrated on this poll.
It’s amazing how the only “smart” people are fans of the respective cheating team. It was too light for the Sox and the Astros. They get paid millions to play baseball, they are role models, and they set the precedent for future generations of baseball players. If I cheat at work, I get fired, like most people.
Astros should’ve been absolutely slammed with loss in draft picks, players banned, and the team itself heavily fined. The RSox should’ve been given a punishment more severe than this proverbial slap on the wrist, truly.
Again, a large majority of players, fans, and analysts agree the punishments should’ve been very severe. Those who disagree are predominantly fans of the cheating team.
Because they only think it was “too light” because they want to bash the Red sox, not because they believe or know there was any wrong doing on the Red Sox end. As a matter of fact nothing in the report points to any wrong doing by the team. But guys who like to read stuff in the internet know better. They’re no “suckers”, they know the real deal.
Why can’t they do both?
Unless there is some behind the scenes play. No one outside the cabal really knows. And most if not all of us are guessing.
And here come the idiots with Red Sox or Red Sox players in their user name claiming they did nothing wrong…
What did they do wrong? Specifically
Bogaert, could you please clarify which types of cheating are okay, and when it’s gone too far? I’m going to guess it’s probably less about the act, and more about if the team is located in Boston though or not based off your name.
Watkins didn’t tell anyone, right..! What happened to holding replete breaking of the rules Apple Watch and now this.
How about holding (Red Sox) manager and general manager accountable for the actions of the players like with the Astros -not with the Red Sox. No immunity for Red Sox players, no one will talk. If Fiers didn’t talk there wouldn’t have been anything said. If you believe Watkins did all this on his own you are sadly mistaken. How did he relay signs to team members that are on second base, did Watkins run out there and tell them him self during the game??? No other team (Red Sox) players Had knowledge of this, wake up and smell the stench of this
given the info we were given (and we have no reason to assum any is being withheld) it seems like the man responsible was punished appropriately. the owner probably should have taken a direct pocket hit even if he didn’t know it had happened, but that’s a minor factor anyway.
The only issue I see is the inconsistency from the Houston to the Boston punishments. The FO in Houston was held responsible as the commish had said that teams would be but Boston wasn’t. Maybe DD being gone and Cora being let go saved them from anything heavier.
Joe- agreed, Can’t fire DD and Cora if they were already fired lol
So the difference was three less draft picks and some $ (drop in the bucket money)
What’s even more outrageous is Cora’s political views
thanks for bringing politics into this
sort of like how these athletes do?
lol he actually didn’t want to go to the white house cause he knew he was a disgrace.
It appears the Sox did nothing beyond what other teams were doing . Shutting investigations down beyond the Astros and Sox is just entirely incomplete, if the true scope of what’s going on is desirable. The owners and thus Manfred needs an about face.
It should be *2017 and *2018 and fines for players and higher ups
Did you not read Manfred’s statement? They basically had no evidence of anything!
Red Sox fan trying to justify cheating. Sad!
Red Sox hater’s dream is this topic.
funny some are shut off with comments from the start, yet this one was open when it’s known it will turn into an out and out hate on Boston, already has. nice going MLBTR.
I’m disappointed Tim. This was a huge mistake. Article wasn’t a mistake, but half the yokels here just post rubbish trash hating on the NYY, Houston, Boston and really have no clue about baseball in general. Just trash, trash, trash.
lol they should shut off the comment section to preserve the feeling of Red Sox fans?
You have to understand. Red Sox fans are used to how things work on E!SPN – the Worldwide Leader in (Boston) Sports Entertainment.
Information released about Big Papi using PEDs, they talk about Tom Brady.
Big Papi talked about getting an investigation, they talk about Tom Brady until everyone forgets that he would investigate the story of him failing a PED test.
John Henry and Jefferey Loria work together to block owners from bidding on the Marlins and Red Sox, when Henry becomes Red Sox owner, E!SPN sweeps it under the table and bashes the Marlins when they can while praising Henry.
Red Sox penalty comes down, focus will be Gronk in Tampa with Brady and how they’re too old to win because they are no longer Patriots.
Can’t be upset at Red Sox fans. They are wiser than all of us other fans since their arrival in October 2004.
Yankee fan with expected response, Darth?? Read the article Buddy
Well, I think Gronk is probably still OK, but Brady is truly too old.
If there’s any criticism to be levied at Boston, it’s that they need to learn to be more audacious. Learn from organizations like the Astros where they flaunt their arrogance, play the victim card, and walk away with cash and prizes. Need to get my kids an internship with Alex Cora on how to succeed in business.
“Hard to believe” is not truth
LOL MANFRED IS A FRAUD!
Ted believes OJ is innocent too.
Nah, he would only think OJ is innocent if OJ was a Patriot.
But he does think Big Papi never used PED shakes. Afterall, Big Papi said he would investigate the matter. It’s been a long investigation.
Yeah Papi is the only one who’s ever been linked to steroids. How long are you people going to keep bringing Papi up? Good lord. Thank god no one on the Marlins ever used steroids. Oh, wait…
The only reason it still comes up is because Big Papi still has the investigation ongoing. He said that as soon as the investigation is done, he’ll let everyone know. He still hasn’t. It’s been what…10-15 years? When’s his investigation team going to come up with something? It’s practically a cold case.
You’re right about other players using. But, no other player has said they’ll investigate why and promise to let everyone know once he finds out. So, we’re still waiting years later for him to let everyone know.
If there’s any criticism to be levied at Boston, it’s that they need to learn to be more audacious. Learn from organizations like the Astros where they flaunt their arrogance, play the victim card, and walk away with cash and prizes. Need to get my kids an internship with Alex Cora on how to succeed in business.
It’s light because it’s a second offense.
I’m more disappointed the investigations wasn’t conducted further to see how prevalence it is.
Hard to believe that Cora wins with the Astros and cheated and then goes to the Sox and wins the series again and didn’t cheat. The Sox just didn’t have any leaks or rats to tell on them. We know they did the same thing in Boston, and with the virus most won’t be punished. Next time, punish the players so the whole thing doesn’t look like a farce.
slider32 Easier said then done. Can’t punish the player’s without solid evidence, and without giving them all immunity you won’t get anything out of the players or coaches involved. MLB would also have to be ready to fight the players union on it which would drag out the scandal and they could lose the grievances anyway.
I don’t know if the MLBPA could really fight. Remember, there are players (other MLBPA members) who were hurt by the cheating.
Yes, it’s hard to gain the evidence, but I’m sure former Red Sox whose careers are in the toilet or struggling to make rosters will speak up like Fiers did.
MLBPA could drag it out no doubt, but what happens if all the players that were hurt by the cheating step up (which is possible because of careers hurt)?
MarlinsFanBase I think it’s obvious the league/owners don’t want this scandal dragged out any longer then it has to be. Plus doesn’t it create a bit of an awkward situation in the MLBPA if certain members decide to turn their backs on other members? Whats the point if they don’t have each other’s backs and decide not to protect each other whenever they feel like it?
A whole team full of MLBPA members already turned their backs on all of their compatriots by cheating to beat them. If I am playing poker with a fellow union member and he cheats and takes me for $1,000, he is getting his *ss kicked, union brother or not.
Where’s the proof?
There was no proof of anything but haters don’t need proof.
Watkins was the scapegoat
WHat still gets under my skin is whoever the “source” is for Drellick and Rosenthahl, their credibility needs to be questioned…. what occurred and the months of dragging their feet on this investigation and the result is completely unfair to the Sox organization and fans. Yeah, I get the guilt by association with Cora is the main cause and the Apple watch stuff….. but the Organization got unfairly scrutinized and docked a second round pick for basically doing squat. If we are talking about guilt by association, where did ring leader Carlos Beltran come from when he got to the Astros in 2017 and was quoted “you guys are way behind on this technology sign stealing stuff”? Oh yeah, the New York Yankees… so why are they not getting investigated?
This has Dan Shaugnessy written all over it as the “source” for the Athletic story…. it is time his behind gets called out.
Cooperdooper7 I don’t think the league wants to publicly find any more evidence of this stuff then they have too. Manfred and the owner’s play here seems to be sweep it under the rug as best they can. Imagine the damage it would cause if word got out a significant portion of the league has been involved in similar actions of their own over the last several years, compared to just 1 or 2 teams.
Rocket32…. understood, but Sox got a raw deal here and as a fan of this team, they were unfairly “piled on” and grouped into this ASTROS mess because of Cora’s involvement…. so my point is if you need to penalize them because of their association with Cora… How about doing the same with the association with Beltran. Remember, the Sox were screwed by the Astros in 17, before the Yankees and Dodgers were screwed.
Red Sox got a raw deal? Wow! You got a little homer in your eye.
Red Sox got a gift. Ask every team that isn’t the Red Sox or the Astros. Punishment should have been more harsh.
I would just love it if they bothered to investigate the Marlins
I’m pretty sure they investigated every team. Your team got caught.
You see marlins fan, we don’t care what you think, your team sucks so there’s nothing better for you to do then slag other teams
another assumption.
I’m not sure what Corus career earnings were, but I’m guessing the $5 million he lost not coaching this year probably hurt a little
Cora’s
Dissolve the franchise.
Why even “punish” them. This was a joke and invites every team to find ways to cheat using technology. Cora and Hinch will be back managing one 2021 (Cora will probably be the Sox manager again). Manfred is a joke
I remember them saying initially that 3 players reported the RS for video room cheating. Were those the players that benefited from a Watkins’s information? Just sayin…..
I think both punishments are light just because it deters no one from cheating from sign stealing. Sure what the Astros did was IMO the worst form of cheating possible, giving the batter at the plate the pitch that is coming. If you want teams to stop cheating punish whoever was found to use the help. In the Astros case ALL but 3 players
This is even bigger of a joke than the Astros punishment. Too light. Manfred is a puppet dancing on the strings of the owners and has no spine.
“Manfred is a puppet dancing on the strings of owners”
What do you think his job is? They are the ones who literally employ him smart guy.
The reality is, the Red Sox got off light. But I’d argue the Astros did as well. The Red Sox should have punishment much closer to the Astros. And the Astros should have lost all it’s draft picks for a year or two.
Agreed on all parts.
How does it look that a mid market team gets a harsher penalty than a big market team for the same offense? And this isn’t the first time MLB has turned a blind eye to the Red Sox. Remember the Mitchell Report? How many Red Sox players were confirmed users, but didn’t appear in the Mitchell Report?
Is MLB slowly becoming like David Stern’s version of the NBA?
Did someone on the Red Sox steal your girlfriend? You sure seem to have an axe to grind here
Let me see…MLB treated a big market team with kid gloves when they deserved as much of a punishment as the mid market team. It makes the league look bad.
I love baseball. I don’t want MLB to look like boxing or David Stern’s version of the NBA.
Hey Marlins supporter.
Firstly you have so much anger…..you need to meditate and chill out. Its not worth letting the Red Sox “cheating scandal” rent so much space in your head. Its really sad to you suffer so badly and have such a distorted view on things. I hope you get well soon.
Secondly you need to get your facts straight surrounding the Mitchell Report. I suggest you go have a read of it and then come to your final conclusions regarding Ortiz.
Thirdly Kevin Brown was named in that report and he had a big year for the Marlins in 1997. So doesnt that make the 1997 Marlins world series win tainted as well. If you are going to bring up old news then lets bring it all up. Why only bring up stuff that suits you and your rage.
Thats enough for now.
For what its worth, it appears to me that the commissioner couldnt find any real evidence of cheating and thats why the fines were so light. I actually believe that this has tainted a well earned world series win. I dont believe we got off lightly at all but I can also see how others would feel that the Red Sox got of lightly.
Stay safe and sane everyone….especially my friendly Marlins man 🙂
The same offense? Facts completely different. Apples and Oranges. You probably think a guy speeding at 36 MPH in a 35 MPH zone should get the same penalty as a guy speeding 110 MPH in a 35 MPH zone. Same offense, right?
Save Baseball
Fire Manfred
When you see how the league had the Mitchell Report and ignored many Red Sox players who were known users, and they even had medical staff providing them with PEDs, and now this light punishment for the Red Sox misusing technology, it makes MLB look a bit questionable when it comes to big market teams the same way David Stern (RIP) turned the NBA into a rigged league.
Are we slowly headed that route? Don King destroyed boxing. David Stern, as great as the NBA is, led the league down a path of sacrificing integrity of results in favor of money. Does MLB really want to have imbalanced treatment? There are too many markets that already can’t compete with the big markets, so now you’re going to start having league decisions hold them back and help the big markets further? Sorry, but the Red Sox deserve the same punishment that the Astros did, and Cora should be held accountable for cheating with both organizations to send a message.
And how does Cora not be considered for being banned for life? He altered the game for two championships. He didn’t bet on baseball, but he cheated after he received the memo like everyone else. How id this different than Pete Rose betting on baseball after he knew the rules too? Cora should receive a lifetime ban. Park his butt right next to Pete Rose.
Exactly. There seem to be two sets of rules in play. That’s why I quit watching the NBA (although I still love boxing). NFL is getting that way too. Touch Brady and it’s 15 yards but you can decapitate other QB’s.
Back to the Sox, they’ve completely skated while being the most obvious PED abusers in recent memory. Papi gets love, Manny completely overlooked. They never have a guy suspended, though.
The Mitchell Report was written by a Sox employee.
Something tells me if a random Brewer showed up in 03, failed a test, then went on to increase his power output year after year he’d be tested again, fail again, and get suspended.
Does anyone know who the players were that reported the RS, and if perhaps they were the ones that benefited from Watkins?
If ‘all’ they did was literally wha was stated in the report/conclusion then they were barely even cheating. I mean all teams try to steal opponents signs before/after/during – while on-base – games. The Red Sox just crossed a line by using their video reviewer to try and crack the signs during the game using video. Is it wrong? YES! Should they be punished? — here the answer is “yes because they were caught” but my guess is they’re not the only team in baseball doing it – or something similar. to However having said all of that — even as a Red Sox fan I’m not 100% sold that what’s been reported is ‘all’ they did. Why do I say that? Because I feel like literally every team probably does some form of what they’re accused of… so the league would know that and if that’s all they did… they probably shouldn’t have been punished. Unless it really is just like a speeding ticket scenario… where everyone’s doing it (speed/in this case using live video to crack signs) and they just happened to get caught — like the one guy who gets pulled over by the cop — they’re the one who winds up paying the ticket.
There needs to be a 4th option in the poll for “wTF?”
If they did nothing, then why take a 2nd round pick? It is too harsh
If the replay guy did something then who else was involved? Did he do this on his own volition? Was a coach(es) involved? Was this as deep as the Astros or was it Cora saying you can do this and not violate the rules, but it did? If it is the latter then the punishment is fair but if it has a large group of people then it is too light.
It isn’t believable that the replay guy just did this by himself. Either they used him as a fall guy to ram out some punishment to satisfy public opinion or MLB realized they stepped in it and afraid other teams would now be exposed.
Manfred was making a point taking their pick, so other teams would be deterred from practicing stealing from video room. I still wanna know who the players were n what part they played.
Trying to be objective here, what MLB found isn’t nearly to the scope of the Astros. However the Sox are second time offenders so they should’ve been treated like a guy on probation and gotten a more severe penalty than the initial findings might normally justify.
That and it looked like MLB tried pretty hard not to investigate nearly as thoroughly as they did in Houston and I read the players were not nearly as cooperative.
Dropping this the night before the NFL draft so that it gets completely ignored is just another case of MLB carrying Boston’s bath water for them.
Oh PuULLEEZZ!
It’s funny how most baseball fans basically wanted the Houston Astros team disbanded and abolished forever … from the votes counted so far against the Red Sox’s, most fans again want harsher penalties. I’ve said this before, “every team” has cheated one way or the other but a lot of them don’t get caught … if it was your team in this predicament like the Astros & Red Sox, you would be screaming bloody murder at the league issued punishment. Get over it and let the league handle it … the Astros & Red Sox got caught and have been punished. Now, with that said … I ready for this season to start ⚾️⚾️⚾️
The Ass tros did a blatant cheating scam from banging the cans to using buzzers(supposedly). It is comparing apples to oranges. The cheating was not on the same level at all.
It’s funny how most baseball fans basically wanted the Houston Astros team disbanded and abolished forever … from the votes counted so far against the Red Sox’s, most fans again want harsher penalties. I’ve said this before, “every team” has cheated one way or the other but a lot of them don’t get caught … if it was your team in this predicament like the Astros & Red Sox, you would be screaming bloody murder at the league issued punishment. Get over it and let the league handle it … the Astros & Red Sox got caught and have been punished. Now, with that said … I ready for this season to start.
What an amazing co-winky-dink! Cora goes from cheating on one team and the team he moves to is stealing signs also? But Cora is innocent this time?
LOL, Manfred. You lack credibility. Cheating will ruin the game and with legalized sports gambling taking a bigger role, hold onto your hat. We haven’t seen anything yet.
Show me the proof!
After a long wait? When we the fans mentioned how it’s been a long time you guys said “what’s the hurry”. Nothing like treating your customers like crap eh?
So they didn’t give the Red Sox players immunity? No wonder they did t get as much info.
The Sox players did get immunity.
Here’s the part I just can’t wrap my head around. In the chance that there is no baseball in 2020, all three of these men will be able to immediately return to the game in 2021. It would be as if they missed nothing. Everybody else is sidelined if the game stays shut down and that makes Beltran, Hinch and Cora no more or less punished than any other player or coach in the game just waiting for the green light to get back on a ball field again. I don’t understand how they are allowed to benefit from the whole game being shut down for a full season. They could end up serving no significant penalty if the game doesn’t return until 2021..
The Red Sox punishment was fine. The only thing that feels lenient was the Alex Cora punishment. The guy should have been banned from baseball.
If the conclusions in the report are correct, then the punishment was appropriate. I suspect there was more going on that Manfort either failed to prove, or decided to sweep under the rug.
Appears he found what he would have found had he done a complete investigation ( all 30 teams ). He found less in all probability. Irresponsible on his part to not follow and investigate what the ring leader Beltran has been up to since he left the Astros. An outside investigation was needed from day 1.
Now that Sox were exonerated with no fines, no management suspensions and no player involvement it’s time to look at the Yankees. Logan Morrison said Yanks were cheating while he was there and Beltran was in charge of the video. Manfred, if you want to do it right you should investigate your home town team because you have a first hand account from a player. With Beltran, the mastermind of the Astros situation, in charge of the yankee video there’s no telling how far they went. If you don’t do this then your investigations into Astro’s and Sox are moot.
Show me proof of the NYY cheating! There is NONE.
The Apple Watch issue,ended up being the Red Sox vs the Yankees. All people remember was the initial report and not the final findings. Both the Red Sox and Yankees were found to be using tech. That incident is why the commissioner said the electronics in the game would be punished.
Giambi admitted to using steroids when caught…….A-Roid got an extra long vacation for using…..Clemens career was rejuvenated in New York when he found the fountain of youth (wonder if he used A-Rod’s guy).
Rob Manfred should be impeached,removed for his non assertative approach to this whoke sign stealing issue. I am surprised all other owners have not had his head on a platter. Based on past commissioners ruling on Pete Rose who gambled. Astros cheated as well as did the Redsox. The blackbox scandal. The team members were exonerated to be not guilty but still the commissioner banned the white Sox players because
The scandal soiled baseballs name. This out ragious 5 mm fine. Franchise (ASTROS)is worth about 1.5 billion pluS. THE REDSOX TEAM NUMBERS SUFFERED IN 2019. THE REASON WHY THE REDSOX FALTERED LAST YEAR FROM WS YEAR OF 18″.ALL OF BASEBALL KEPT POINTING TO PLAYERS THAT OUTSTANDING PREVIOUS YEAR.I M 67 N WATCHING MLB since i was 6 n played div 2 college ball n i m thru with baseball. I did not watch for a yr after 1994 strike n i will not pay for cabke or in person. Great job commish. U have alienated me as well as i believe will be 100’s k of fans.
What this comes down to is credibility, or, more accurately, lack of credibility. Manfred lacks it…he’s always looking for an angle, always hiding things, always seeming to emulate Selig, who constantly played favorite. You always get the impression that every decision is based on the bottom line, instead of the severity of the offense. Punishments are supposed to fit the severity of the crime. If the crime is significant, the punishment must be high enough to be a deterrent. The Red Sox penalty was not–so the presumption must be they didn’t do much. But few seem to believe that, and if the doubters are correct, Manfred is signaling to the next team……”go ahead if you think it will help you put fannies in seats.”
Will always love baseball but this is straight up UnAmerican, letting a team that straight cheated keep their trophy. What sad start to the decade for baseball
Show us the PROOF!
The loss of a draft pick and suspension of the guilty staffer sounds about right given the minor effect this had on the results. It was still cheating though, and needs to be dealt with as such. I think some sort of fine should have been levied against the club. It’s the responsibility of ownership and upper management to set and enforce policy for staff and players, and a fine would make it very clear to other clubs that this is where responsibility begins and ends.
Really? So cheaters deserve to keep their rings? Really?
Joke 1000% cheating is ignored and unpunished. No wonder MLB is bleeding customers
INVESTIGATE OTHER TEAMS…This is BS on the Commish You cannot take away a draft pick!!! the A’s asked for the Astros to be investigated because they knew they cheated the commish did nothing at the time said they did nothing wrong…??? it was only when the article was in the athletic did they then decide to do something and rightfully take away their picks. Investigate caslos Beltran when he was with the y’s look at the London series alone. You spend over 100 days investigating the Red Sox only to pin something so light on a staffer??? the ny league office is a joke!!!
This is not an allegation that they are to a great degree, but the Yanks/RSox/Cubs/Dodgers may as well cheat big time. MLB will not punish the big market and TV/advertising $ darlings too harshly. They want the deck stacked for them to be in postseason at least 80% of the time.
I think more than anything the results of the poll show people don’t believe Manfred’s conclusions are correct. If Watkins was really just a rogue ne’er-do-well, then the punishment is probably just right for the Sox second offense. But folks don’t believe it was that isolated, and so the poll reflects that by indicating a more severe penalty is desired.
Boston got it’s “fall guy” the replay guy.
No players could be touched or tainted.
LAD got Betts and Price as compensation.
The Red Sox got under the Luxury Tax threshold.
And we have something to talk about.
We need a 5th and or 6th umpire in the replay room(s) of each team’s telecast.
That way not only can we monitor each teams replay officials but we can also easily review all close plays immediately to get the calls as close to right as possible.
The “master mind” of the Astros scandal have little or nothing to be with the Sox scandal…
Who will believe that???
I believe that the MLB as well as the NCAA should go deep finding the roots of the Scandals, that probably began in College Baseball.