Mike Fiers publicized the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal that polarized the sports world over four months ago. The Commissioner’s office and Rob Manfred punished the 2017 World Series champions a month ago. Yet, it’s still the talk of the town in Arizona and Florida with spring training in full swing.
Manfred’s punishment, or lack thereof, places a level of scrutiny on the game not seen since the steroid era. Punishment includes year-long suspensions for manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow. In addition to suspensions, MLB fined the Astros franchise $5 million. Houston also loses first and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB drafts. Owner Jim Crane fired Hinch and Luhnow while denying personal knowledge of the scheme.
Manfred’s Report
The official report released by the MLB concluded that the Astros electronically stole signs during the 2017 regular season and postseason. The report also indicated that the scheme was primarily player-driven, naming the now-retired Carlos Beltran, as well as former Red Sox manager Alex Cora (then the Astros bench coach), as two of the figureheads behind the plan. While Manfred’s office is yet to announce punishment for either figure, the Red Sox fired Cora and the Mets fired Beltran shortly after hiring him as manager earlier in the offseason.
The key takeaway from Manfred’s report was the conclusion that the scheme was player-driven. How, fans wondered, could players face no punishment for something they did, especially something as egregious as this? It’s a complicated answer.
Rob Manfred, at a press conference on Tuesday, February 18th, claimed that the MLBPA refused to allow any Astros players to interview without blanket immunity. This conflicts with a statement made by player’ president Tony Clark. Clark stated, “MLB said from the outset that its intent was not to discipline players.” He went on to say, “Any suggestion that the Association failed to cooperate with the Commissioner’s investigation, obstructed the investigation, or otherwise took positions which led to a stalemate in the investigation is completely untrue.”
Mistake After Mistake
This was just the latest in a series of PR mishaps for the league’s commissioner. He faced intense scrutiny from players and fans alike after stating he did not attempt to strip the Astros of the World Series trophy because it is just “a piece of metal”, during an interview with ESPN last week. This prompted a harsh response from several players, with the Dodgers’ Justin Turner stating, “The only thing devaluing the trophy is the fact that it says ‘Commissioner’ on it.”
Manfred’s report faced another wave of fire after a post from The Wall Street Journal published shortly after discussed the inside aspects of the organization. The Journal obtained a letter sent by Manfred to Jeff Luhnow, which revealed that the former GM was likely aware of the sign-stealing scheme from the beginning. It also revealed that the scheme laid its origins in the 2016 season, and continued at least into the 2018 season. This directly disputes the official report, which states that the scheme took place solely during the 2017 season.
Make that twice Rob Manfred deceived baseball fans in as many months. So where does he go from here?
Manfred’s Next Move?
At this point, it is almost impossible to imagine that Manfred will regain the trust of the fans. Players from teams all across the league have criticized him, and so have numerous former baseball figureheads. This includes current Cubs manager David Ross, who stated that the Astros “don’t deserve [the World Series trophy].”
Various petitions on change.org demanding Manfred resign from office have received over 10,000 combined signatures. But despite all of the uproar, his job is actually completely secure. Manfred is under contract through the 2024 season, and by all indications, still has the support of the owners around the league.
It has become increasingly clear that Manfred does not respect the integrity of baseball. Between his various attempts to “fix” baseball (30-second clock between pitches, 3 batter minimum for relievers, new proposed playoff format) and his attempt to minimize the Astros scandal, it is obvious that Manfred does not truly care about the game.
Instead of blowing the cover off one of the biggest cheating scandals in the history of baseball, and rooting it out at the source, Manfred attempted to cover up the true impact of the scheme. Why? To protect his reputation as commissioner? Protect the perception of the MLB among the general public? We don’t know and we’ll likely never know. However, Manfred’s handling of the incident has created far more backlash than he, or anyone else, could have possibly imagined. More precariously for Manfred, it may also have numbered his days as commissioner of Major League Baseball.