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The previous week in MLB was about a team receiving punishment for hacking, a club in the National League signed a young starting pitcher to an extension, and a reliever is switching teams.
MLB Punishes Cardinals for Hacking
MLB laid down the law earlier in the week that the St. Louis Cardinals must give up two draft picks and pay the Houston Astros $2 million due to them hacking the Astros database, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
BREAKING: #MLB hammers #Cardinals for hack: Must send 2 draft picks to #Astros, pay $2m fine. News coming here: https://t.co/SCcIzcHG8Q
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) January 30, 2017
The Cardinals will lose their Nos. 56 and 75 overall picks in the 2017 draft, as Buster Olney of ESPN, confirmed it.
Chris Correa, the former scouting director of the Cardinals, plead guilty to illegally accessing the player database and email system of the Astros last January.
He was sentenced by a federal judge to 46 months in prison in July.
Yahoo Sports’ Big League Stew gave a copy of the findings by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred:
Here are Commissioner Manfred’s full findings in the Cardinals hacking scandal. pic.twitter.com/bvZu8j9d8l
— Big League Stew (@bigleaguestew) January 30, 2017
I thought the punishment was fair as the Cardinals will lose two picks in the upcoming draft.
The penalty of $2 million is minor, but it’s the maximum a commissioner can fine a team under the “best interests of baseball” clause, per Jacob B. Lourim of USA Today.
Cardinals Sign Martinez to Five-Year Extension
The Cardinals have signed starting pitcher Carlos Martinez to a five-year extension worth $51 million, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.
The deal has a pair of options that can extend the contract, per Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com.
Carlos Martinez’s 5-year, $51-million extension also includes a pair of options – which means this deal could take him through 2023 season.
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) February 2, 2017
It was smart by the Cardinals to ink Martinez to a long-term deal as he had a spectacular season for them in 2016.
The right-hander posted a 3.04 ERA in 195.1 innings (31 starts), striking out 174 batters, yielding 15 home runs, compiling a 135 ERA+ and his FIP was 3.61.
Martinez established himself as one of the best young starters in the NL last year and will be integral to the Cardinals making the postseason this year.
It was also mentioned by Heyman that the $51 million deal is a record for an arbitration-eligible pitcher.
martinez’s $51M deal will set a record for 1st time arb eligible pitcher. progress on deal 1st mentioned by @Ken_Rosenthal
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) February 2, 2017
Dodgers Sign Romo to One-Year Contract
The Los Angeles Dodgers have signed reliever Sergio Romo to a one-year contract, per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.
Source: Sergio Romo has agreed to a one-year deal with the #Dodgers as reported by @jonmorosi and @Ken_Rosenthal. Deal is pending physical. pic.twitter.com/CmTMXf5MwM
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) February 4, 2017
Romo spent the first nine seasons in the Majors as a member of the San Francisco Giants but has a new home.
He pitched well last year, accumulating a 2.64 ERA in 40 games (30.2 innings), surrendering five home runs, fanning 33 batters, and limiting the opposition to a .236 batting average.
Romo not only gives the Dodgers bullpen depth but a reliever with postseason experience.
He played a significant role in the Giants winning the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014. Romo has a 3.09 ERA in his postseason career.
The right-handed reliever is known for utilizing a slider that continues to baffle opposing teams.
He will serve as the setup guy for Dodgers’ closer Kenley Jansen.
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- Chris is a New Jersey native whose favorite sports team is the Arizona Diamondbacks. He previously attended Western New England College to study Sports Management. Chris has been following the Diamondbacks since he was 12. You can find him on Twitter at @aecanada12.
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