MLB Digest Special Edition: Cheating Scandal Has Drastic Ramifications

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The MLB offseason for most sports is supposed to be a time when the focus is about looking forward to the upcoming season and not dealing with something which paints the game in a negative light.

Major League Baseball currently has a dark cloud in terms of sign-stealing.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred released a report a couple of days ago detailing who was involved in the cheating scandal.

They suspended Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one year due to their roles in the sign-stealing scandal, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

BREAKING: MLB has suspended Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch for one year apiece for Houston’s sign-stealing charges. Astros have also been fined $5 million, and will forfeit their first- and second-round draft picks in both 2020 and 2021. No players were disciplined.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 13, 2020

Astros owner Jim Crane took it a step further by firing both Hinch and Luhnow, per Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY.

Jim Crane has fired GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 13, 2020

The franchise needs a reset in leadership moving forward.

The Astros were the main team involved in the report, but the cheating goes beyond them.

The report also mentioned Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and former player Carlos Beltran, who is a manager of the New York Mets.

Cora, as detailed in the report, was the individual who came up with the idea of the trash can banging when he was a bench coach for the Astros back in 2017.

He also utilized the replay review room to decode and transmit signs while managing the Red Sox in 2018.

Beltran was a player with the Astros back in ’17 and had a role in the sign-stealing as well.

The Red Sox have decided to part ways with Cora as their manager, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The Red Sox released a statement that they have mutually agreed to part ways with Alex Cora. pic.twitter.com/QlTICjB2JF

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 15, 2020

Cora is expected to be suspended at least one year and possibly more once MLB finishes their investigation into what Cora did during the 2018 campaign.

The Red Sox had to decide swiftly on the direction the franchise was going and if Cora was going to be part of that future.

They did the smart thing as having Cora remain their manager was going to create a problem.

He would be a distraction for the team with spring training just a couple of weeks away.

The Mets face a similar situation with Beltran as they’re at a crossroads in deciding which direction to take the franchise.

The team hasn’t commented on Beltran, nor has Beltran said anything public.

A key date for the Mets and Beltran is January 25^th, which is their FanFest event, and this would be his next public appearance, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.

The Mets still have not commented on Carlos Beltrán, who was named in MLB's sign-stealing report but not disciplined. Nor has Beltrán offered any public comment.

His next public appearance is scheduled for Jan. 25 at the Mets' Fanfest event.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) January 15, 2020

Beltran is currently the only manager mentioned in the report who still has a job.

The Mets did have some knowledge in his involvement during the GM Meetings in November when the sign-stealing involving the Astros was first reported, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

At GM Meetings in Nov, when Beltran’s role in the #Astros scheme first was reported, Van Wagenen tried to downplay importance to #Mets because it did not happen under their watch. It was a problem for NYM then and bigger now.

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) January 15, 2020

The Mets should follow what the Astros and Red Sox did, by firing their managers.

Beltran was a player and not a manager during the timeline of the scandal, but he was still involved.

It would be extremely weird for the Mets to keep Beltran, as their manager given what’s transpired this past week in MLB.

The cheating scandal has put MLB in the spotlight, but it’s the wrong type of publicity.

About Post Author

Chris Lacey

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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