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2019-20 MLB Hot Stove Thread...

Seems light to me. The draft picks will be late each year. I would trade $5m & 4 picks for a World Series. I guess the suspensions are fair but not “smoked.”

I agree with this. I honestly expected lifetime bans to get handed out, and the World Series to get officially revoked. Braves GM got a lifetime ban recently for something that feels similar in scope, but affected MLB games much less.

Not surprised there was no player discipline though, MLBPA would have lost their shit.
 
If they tried anything longer than this, there would be an avalanche of accusations (I think there will be anyway). Remember, baseball teams have been trying to or succeeding at stealing signs since 1876.

I know. I was there.
 
If they tried anything longer than this, there would be an avalanche of accusations (I think there will be anyway). Remember, baseball teams have been trying to or succeeding at stealing signs since 1876.

I know. I was there.

Well, we will see about that, because Cora's suspensions is forthcoming, and there's a lot of rumors out there it's gonna be significantly longer than 1 year. The report mentions that Hinch wasn't the mastermind of this, he merely failed to stop it. It was Cora's thing, and he continued it in some fashion with the Red Sox. I bet he gets hammered and fired from the Red Sox.
 
Beltran was mentioned as well and he was just hired by the Mets. I wonder if anything happens to him.
 
 
Beltran was mentioned as well and he was just hired by the Mets. I wonder if anything happens to him.

Seems unlikely, as he was a player at the time. He was almost certainly involved though.
 
Luhnow and Hinch are suspended for a year without pay.

The Astros lose their 1st and 2nd round picks in 2020 and 2021.

MLB fines the Astros $5 million.

Wouldn't call that a light punishment. Suspending a manager and a GM for a year is unprecedented, and losing your top two picks over the next two drafts means that the Astros won't have a top 100 pick until 2022. Glad the Astros got hammered (hope the Sawx get hammered next), not sure what more could be reasonably expected. Lifetime ban?
 
Luhnow and Hinch are suspended for a year without pay.

The Astros lose their 1st and 2nd round picks in 2020 and 2021.

MLB fines the Astros $5 million.


Wouldn't call that a light punishment. Suspending a manager and a GM for a year is unprecedented, and losing your top two picks over the next two drafts means that the Astros won't have a top 100 pick until 2022. Glad the Astros got hammered (hope the Sawx get hammered next), not sure what more could be reasonably expected. Lifetime ban?

Haas from a few post above...
 
Crazytown. Haven't read anything about it, just saw the notification - must have been a lot more to it.
 
Pilch - just two offseasons ago, MLB banned a GM for, in my opinion, something that affects the 162 game season much less than this.
 
Hinch got shitcanned for what appears to be much less than Cora's involvement.

Red Sox fans.... stay tuned.
 
If they tried anything longer than this, there would be an avalanche of accusations (I think there will be anyway). Remember, baseball teams have been trying to or succeeding at stealing signs since 1876.

I know. I was there.

Stealing signs the old fashioned way is still legal. MLB specifically outlawed using electronic equipment to steal signs in 2017.

If Cora was the guy who designed and built the system, he should get hammered harder than Hinch and Luhnow.
 
Stealing signs the old fashioned way is still legal. MLB specifically outlawed using electronic equipment to steal signs in 2017.

If Cora was the guy who designed and built the system, he should get hammered harder than Hinch and Luhnow.

Particularly if MLB's investigation of the Red Sox finds more of the same.
 
https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-red-sox/2020/01/14/jeff-luhnow-alex-cora-astros-statement

"The sign-stealing initiative was not planned or directed by baseball management; the trash-can banging was driven and executed by players, and the video decoding of signs originated and was executed by lower-level employees working with the bench coach."

Wonder what is meant by "lower-level employees working with the bench coach." Is that a veiled reference to players or other coaches or are there some staff people (maybe videographers) in the Astros organization who were involved?

I would expect MLB would have named and punished any other additional non-player members of the Astros organization who were found to be involved.
 
It's the same with every scandal.

Those in charge claim plausible deniability, cast the blame on lower level employees, but spout off the typical "this happened on my watch so I accept responsibility". Garbage. AJ Hinch is a smart guy. Jeff Luhnow has always thought he was the smartest guy. It was the job for each of them to scrutinize every pitch and every at bat in every Astros game. Not only did they have first hand knowledge that the Astros were using electronics to steal signs and give the advantage to Astros hitters; they knew that they were gaining an edge because of it; so, they ensured that it would continue so they could receive the credit when the Astros won (which they reveled in). The fact that Astros went to those lengths to steal signs was lame, but the current attempt to throw it all on rogue lower employees is so predictable and ridiculous.

Hinch should say: I knew we were stealing signs, and knew it was giving us an edge, and as a result, the practice continued. All of our accomplishments are tainted, and I am to blame. Maybe, he gets on another MLB coaching staff in a couple of years.

Lunhow is too far gone in his own fantasy world for any legit contrition. The good thing is that his reputation in baseball already sucked before this; so, don't see him ever getting back in the game again.
 
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