Giants Hire Alyssa Nakken As Assistant Coach (First Woman On An MLB Coaching Staff)

Alyssa Nakken will be an assistant coach for the San Francisco Giants in 2020, as part of manager Gabe Kapler's staff. She will be the first woman on a major league baseball coaching staff.

Nakken, 29, first worked for the Giants as an intern in 2014, editing and logging the amateur video that scouts would load into the system and inputting scouting reports into the database.

Andrew Baggarly, The Athletic:

[Nakken] will travel full-time and be in uniform for batting practice, but will not be among the seven uniformed coaches allowed to be in the dugout during games.

But Nakken will suit up and throw batting practice. She will hit fungoes. She'll be in every pregame meeting. She will assist in baserunning and outfield defense. ...

Her background stood out to Kapler, who had interviewed newly hired Yankees minor-league coach Rachel Balkovec for a role on his major-league staff and was seeking to put together a staff that embraced diversity in every aspect.

Kapler:

Diverse in thought, in background, in ethnicity, in socioeconomic experience. We just wanted to create as diverse a staff to the degree we were able so that we can be a reflection of the players in our clubhouse and also in our community. ...

The really important message is that experience comes in all shapes and sizes. You look at our coaching staff and the immediate reaction is that it's young and somewhat inexperienced, and traditionally, that's true. But experience is also having a perspective that is wide ranging and diverse, and that includes having taught people at many different levels and ages and many different backgrounds. A lot of our coaches have a long history of consistent and diligent coaching. ...

She's an elite athlete and can translate those skills to help our players get better. She's resourceful, a good communicator, organized and clear in her thoughts and delivery. Before this job is anything, it's teaching. She brings a well-rounded skill set that is unusual to find in a coach. And she's extremely equipped to execute initiatives. Part of coaching is managing very large projects, which she's done in the past. All of those things are important when you're developing players and developing a culture. ...

I think she's going to be a great coach. Merit and the ability to be a great coach trumps all. And I think that players are very receptive to anything and to anyone who can help them get better.

At Least 12 Teams Have Been Accused (By Players Or Anonymous Leaks) Of Cheating; MLB Really Does Not Want To Investigate All Of Them And Hopes You Forget All About It

With a new week starting today, I figured I might as well dump a bunch of stuff related to the sign-stealing scandal since I had no time to craft it into anything coherent.

Former pitcher Jack McDowell (1993 AL Cy Young winner) alleged during a radio interview on Friday that Tony LaRussa created an illegal sign-stealing operation at Comiskey Park in the late 1980s. LaRussa managed the White Sox from 1979 to 1986.

McDowell said LaRussa had a camera installed that could zoom in on opposing catchers' signs. A light in an outfield Gatorade sign, controlled from the manager's office, let batters know what pitches were coming.

"I'm going to whistle-blow this thing now, because I'm getting tired of this crap. ... [La Russa] was also the head of the first team ... with people doing steroids. Yet he's still in the game making half a million. No one's gonna go after that. ... This stuff's getting old, where they target certain guys and let other people off the hook. ... Everybody who's been around the game knows all this stuff.

La Russa was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014.

McDowell said illegal sign-stealing has been going on for decades, but everyone in the game has collectively decided to ignore the issue, just as they did regarding steroids.

Logan Morrison agrees. In a now-deleted Instagram post, the veteran first baseman described the Commissioner's report as "FAKE news" and said the Astros were cheating in 2014:

Hello fans. Just wanted to take some time to educate everyone on this sign stealing 'scandal' we have going on. This is all something I have witnessed or heard. So many teams are doing this. Exactly how many… I'm not sure.

The Manfred report that came out is straight FAKE news. This started in Houston well before [Alex] Cora got there. I was playing in Seattle in 2014 and every time we went into Houston you would hear this banging. No one put two and two together. Seattle fans may remember we came with in a game of going to the playoffs. Felix should have won a CY young that year. But couldn't get pasted [sic] the 5th in Houston.

I know from first hand accounts that the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros and Red Sox have used film to pick signs. Just want you guys to know the truth. I personally think it's a tool in a tool belt to pick signs, but if we are going to be punishing people for it. Don't half ass it.

Bonus LoMo: In 2017, Morrison (with 24 home runs) did not receive an invitation to the Home run derby, but Gary Sanchez (who had 13) did. "I remember when I had 14 home runs. That was a month and a half ago." In 2018, Morrison called Yankees fans "stupid" for being upset with his comments. You can't fix stupid, you know?"

Ken Rosenthal comments re his interview with Altuve after Altuve hit the home run that won the pennant for Houston:

All those asking if I "knew something" when I asked Altuve about refusing to allow teammates to rip off his jersey . . . hardly. In my rush to get onto the field, I did not even see Altuve cross home plate. Producer suggested question in my ear as I conducted the interview.

In the noise and nuttiness of the moment, Rosenthal did not follow-up after Altuve gave the extremely strange answer that his wife would be mad if his teammates ripped his jersey.

Rosenthal's latest article on this issue includes this knee-slapper: "Not one Astros player told MLB investigators he understood he was committing a violation, a source said."

More Rosenthal:

•  If players who use performance-enhancing drugs are disciplined for cheating, why not players who participated in the Astros' scheme? ...

•  [W]hy shouldn't players cheat if they are impervious to punishment?

The Astros' hitters not only escaped penalty, but also presumably benefited from their wrongdoing as well, producing better numbers, landing bigger contracts.

Yet MLB has answers — valid answers — to each question. ...

As Manfred wrote in his decision, "assessing discipline for this type of conduct is both difficult and impractical."

Difficult because while virtually every player had some involvement or knowledge of the scheme, Manfred could not determine with certainty which players did what. Impractical because of the large number of players involved, and because 12 of the position players are now with other clubs while four no longer are active.

Claiming that disciplining obvious cheaters would be "impractical" if there are a lot of offenders is nonsense. Can Rosenthal really be suggesting (or agreeing with the statement) that there exists a tipping-point of cheating, after which MLB can only throw up its hands and let everyone do whatever they want? Is that truly a "valid" response? If teams have a lot of vacant roster spots, there are plenty of players in the minors to fill them.

Rumors about the Astros had proliferated since 2017. Yahoo Sports wrote a column about the trash can in 2018. The Yankees raised complaints in 2019, after they had hired Beltrán as an advisor. Alex Bregman told The Athletic in October that from the front office Beltrán "helped out the Yankees this year a lot. Like a lot a lot."

JJ Cooper, Executive Editor, Baseball America, Twitter (@jjcoop36), January 16, 2020:

The wearables rumors have been floating around for months. It is not clear how much MLB investigated them.

On Sunday (yesterday), Jose Altuve called reports that was wearing a buzzer during games "ridiculous. MLB did their investigation and they didn't find anything."

Believe me, at the end of the year everything will be fine. We are going to be in the World Series again, people don't believe it. We will. We made it last year. We were one game away [from] winning it all. ... You don't want anybody to call you [a cheater] like that. But like I said I have two options, one just cry and one go out there and play the game, and help my team. You know which one I'm going to do.

Alex Bregman was asked if Houston's players wore buzzers. He said "No." and called the claims "stupid".

The commissioner and league came out with the report and the Astros did what they did. ... I have no thoughts on it.

Orioles pitcher Josh Rogers saw Bregman's comment and tweeted: "Just plead the 5th bud. Cause your guilty."

Zach Kram, The Ringer, January 13, 2020:

Nine Key Takeaways From MLB's Houston Astros Sign-Stealing Punishment

1. The "Banging Scheme," as Manfred's report terms it, evolved over time

2. That scheme extended through the postseason

3. Manfred had effectively given the Astros a chance to avoid detection and punishment, and they didn't take it

4. Take note: Banging is preferable to other forms of communication

5. It’s unclear whether the scheme actually worked

6. Astros players were at least somewhat concerned about getting caught … so they grew more secretive instead of stopping

7. Hinch attacked a TV, twice

8. The same qualities that helped propel the Astros to victory were the basis for their undoing

9. This saga isn't over—Alex Cora's punishment is coming, and it will be severe

Some amusing snips from Kram:

"[T]hey eventually determined that banging a trash can was the preferred method of communication."

"Here's a wacky parenthetical from the report: 'Witnesses explained that they initially experimented with communicating sign information by clapping, whistling, or yelling, but that they eventually determined that banging a trash can was the preferred method of communication.' Someone needs to uncover everything about the meeting in which this determination took place. Did the Astros run scientific tests? Did they control for confounding variables? The people demand answers."

From MLB's Report: Hinch "believed that the conduct was both wrong and distracting. Hinch attempted to signal his disapproval of the scheme by physically damaging the monitor on two occasions, necessitating its replacement." Kram: "Could he have used his words to tell his players to stop? Maybe! ... Instead, he chose to take his frustration out on the monitors themselves. This is why clear and healthy communication is important."

Ben Lindbergh, The Ringer, January 13, 2020:

All signs suggest that MLB would have been happy not to stir up this sign-stealing story. MLB knew that the Red Sox used technology to steal signs in 2017, and Jeff Passan reported in 2018, per anonymous MLB players, that the Astros had passed signs via trash can. MLB subsequently upped its preventative measures in response to sign-stealing rumors swirling around the sport.

Yet not until Fiers went on record in The Athletic's initial report did MLB grudgingly launch an investigation. Even then, Manfred stated, "I have no reason to believe it extends beyond the Astros at this point in time," which was far-fetched at the time, considering that The Athletic's report cited a source who described the practice as "pervasive."

And not until The Athletic linked the 2018 Red Sox to sign stealing did MLB acknowledge that publicly. Tom Verducci reported that when Manfred called Red Sox owner John Henry to inform him of the investigation, Manfred said, "I've got no choice here," which doesn't make it sound as if Manfred was eager to follow the sign-stealing trail.

For consistency's sake, though, MLB will have to follow that trail if it leads anywhere else. It's quite likely that the Astros and Red Sox weren't the only two teams engaging in at least low-level forms of illegal sign stealing; every team has a video room and must have been tempted to use it improperly. On Monday, MLB player Logan Morrison suggested that the Dodgers and Yankees have also "used film to pick signs." In 2018, members of the Brewers suggested that the Dodgers were stealing signs. In November, BBWAA member Jeff Jones reported that multiple players had told him that the Brewers and Rangers have stolen signs electronically, and Yu Darvish fueled further speculation about the Brewers.

None of that smoke has turned into fire, but it's probably risky for any MLB fan base to proclaim its team pure or complain too loudly about losing to known sign stealers. That said, Manfred will have to be poked pretty hard for the league to acknowledge that the scandal extends beyond Boston and Houston.

Scott Miller, Bleacher Report, October 2, 2019:

Sign stealing and sign relaying always has been a part of the game, but digital theft gained entry as an unintended consequence of instant replay expansion in 2014, several MLB sources agree, and has spread as rapidly as a computer virus ever since. ...

"The paranoia is off the charts," Astros ace Justin Verlander says. "You saw that last year with us. People thought we were doing something. We were trying to make sure the Indians weren't doing anything. That was just us being paranoid."

Predictably, nobody in the game is willing to publicly finger those who were cheating or those whom they believe might be cheating. But given assurances of anonymity, several league sources indicate the Astros, Dodgers, Red Sox, New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks have been especially adept with technological surveillance. One source mentions the Cubs and Washington Nationals dabble a bit "but not as much as others." Another source says the Indians, while still another notes the Toronto Blue Jays and Texas Rangers once were suspected as well. ...

"I think it's unfair to say we've been the face of any of this, the Astros," Houston manager AJ Hinch says. "It was very public for us. We admitted our mistakes of trying to make sure that other teams were not breaking the rules, and in turn we were the ones that had the unfortunate incident in Cleveland and then in Boston. ... I think it's unfair to think that we are the only team that has been curious about everybody else's actions. ... I think it's been largely cleaned up over the year." ...

[For the 2019 season,] the league enacted a series of rules ...

"It's been a great thing," Colorado Rockies manager Bud Black says. "[Digital thievery] was prevalent, and now it's not." ...

Asked whether he saw things during the '17 World Series that made him suspicious, Dodgers manager Roberts pauses for several seconds before finally allowing, "I think the Astros did everything they possibly could to give themselves the best chance for success." ...

Though the Rockies' season is finished, they were a playoff team in 2017 and 2018 and quickly realized—or, at least, suspected—how many clubs were stealing signs.

"The preparation for us was learning how to switch the signs in the middle of an at-bat, the middle of an inning and doing it a lot," Wolters says. "I would say, like this year, we've had at least 10 or 15 different sign sets each inning. Then we would switch our cards each inning. You go through a whole game, you go through 50 or 60 different sign sets."

That math adds up to more than 100 different signs in a given game. And, Wolters says, the Rockies are constantly throwing them away and making new ones. ...

Players and managers alike give MLB high marks for the steps taken this year to combat digital thievery, with most saying they think it is receding following its 2017 peak. ...

"Look at the talent in this clubhouse, and you tell me," Correa says in defending the Astros. "We're great hitters all the way around. We work hard every day, and the fact that people try to take that credit away from us is disrespect to our abilities. This year is 2019, and you've got five, six guys with a .900 OPS on the team. We've got MLB officials in the video room and everywhere, and we have the best numbers of our career as a team. So what are you going to say?"

Michael Baumann, The Ringer, January 14, 2020:

Electronic sign stealing is the cause célèbre of the day, but it's penny-ante shit compared to other behaviors that stem from the same societal disease that views rules, norms, and human beings as obstacles to be navigated around or run over on the way to the goal.

It is from this toxic stem that electronic sign stealing sprouted, as well as other even more insidious fruits: suspicious leaguewide spending freezes, service-time manipulation, improprieties surrounding the recruitment of amateur free agents, PEDs, starvation wages for minor leaguers, and a litany of other sins that are far more odious to fans and deleterious to the soul than sniffing out an upcoming breaking ball.

This is the disease, and MLB is treating one symptom. There's no profit in finding a cure.

Michael Baumann, The Ringer, November 13, 2019:

Astros owner Jim Crane made his billions running a logistics company that's settled discrimination lawsuits and war profiteering charges. And for as much of a beating as Luhnow's current employer is taking in the press, at least the Astros haven't inspired a New York Times headline that said they "Helped Raise the Stature of Authoritarian Governments," like Luhnow's former employer did.

That history forms a base layer that invites observers to make connections among sign stealing, Taubman, the club's mass layoffs in its scouting department, a string of ham-fisted and hostile PR actions against reporters, and the shenanigans the club played with 2014 no. 1 pick Brady Aiken, among a litany of other offenses ranging from the penny-ante to the truly stomach-turning.

In a vacuum, this sign-stealing scandal is bad. The Astros might have influenced a championship by breaking the rules and ought to suffer the prescribed punishment for doing so. (Even if their execution was more folly than a mustache-twirling, real-world evil plot.) But in context, it's the latest car in a freight train of misbehavior.

Craig Calcaterra, NBC Sports:

[W]here does baseball go from here with all of this?

Before we answer that, we have to answer a threshold question: is baseball more interested in stopping future illegal sign-stealing or is it more concerned with simply putting out P.R. fires like the Astros and Red Sox stories have become?

That's not a rhetorical question born of cynicism. As you'll recall, when the Houston allegations first hit, MLB — after an initial, apparently mistaken bit of honesty in which it said it did not plan to limit its investigation to the Astros — said that it would only be investigating Houston and had no reason to look beyond them. They're not idiots. They know it was bigger than Houston. They just wanted to contain the fire that was currently burning. Once the allegations regarding the Red Sox came out, however, that position became untenable for Major League Baseball and they went wider. But only to Boston, it seems. They don't seem to be following up on those seven or eight teams Verducci mentions. I am pretty confident that they're going to blast Alex Cora with 100,000 megatons of Manfredian Justice and then declare the matter closed. At least until the next time.

If we've learned anything in the Rob Manfred Era we've learned that when there is a relatively simple and straightforward solution, baseball will take a more complicated one.

Tom Verducci of Sports Illustrated had a long interview with Rob Manfred "on the occasion of the upcoming fifth-year anniversary of his commissionership":

Paranoia about sign-stealing and the misuse of technology has grown so wild that some news reports suggested the Astros may have relayed signs with the use of a buzzer embedded in bandages on the skin. ...

"I will tell you this: we found no Band-Aid buzzer issues," Manfred told SI. "There's a lot of paranoia out there." ...

This is the story of how the temptation of technology ensnared baseball ...

On January 16, 2014, MLB announced the approval of an expanded, challenge-based replay system. ...

The unintended consequence of getting calls right on the field gave players easy access to real-time video. Many replay monitors, on the premise of expediency, soon moved from the clubhouse to positions closer to the dugout, as the Astros did at Minute Maid Park.

By 2017, teams had figured out that access to live video provided a competitive advantage. ...

Now that Manfred has swung his hammer, he has to decide on how to assure a corrupt-free game in a high-tech world. The answer is either more technology or less technology, and he's not sure which path is correct. ...

"Longer term, for example, the idea of having a technology solution that eliminates some guy putting fingers above his cup might be a better answer." ...

On the other hand, why not eliminate as much technology as possible? If cameras and monitors are causing such subterfuge, why not turn them off as soon as the first pitch is thrown? Video rooms are locked. The only monitor available to a team is the replay one with the MLB security official standing next to it.

"That's the first path," Manfred said. ...

Asked if more protocols will be in place for Opening Day, he replied, "Absolutely."

Two of baseball's past three World Series champions created advantages with the misuse of technology. One investigation concluded Monday and another is underway. ...

"Whenever you have an allegation that the outcome of a game was altered by a rules violation," Manfred said, "that falls into the category where fans believe the competition has been affected, and it's an integrity issue. The integrity of the competition."

Whenever you have an allegation that the outcome of a game was altered by a rules violation ... it's an integrity issue.

And yet Manfred does not believe that statement is true when it comes to umpires violating the rules by altering the strike zone, whether through an inability to track pitches, a desire to have the game end sooner, deference to a veteran at the plate or on the mound, a bias against a certain player, perhaps a rookie or someone who has argued with the umpire in the past, or good old incompetence. Those violations, which change the outcome of games every single day, are okay with the Commissioner.

A song parody, sung to the tune of an odious piece of garbage:

Brand Name (SoSH):

A.J. Hinch, crossed the line, Luhnow gone, heavy fine
Draft picks lost, rings are not, owner sad for getting caught
Crane denied part in team's making up the clanging scheme
Taubman censured in the text, Cora, Beltran might be next
We didn't blame Mike Fiers
Can was always banging, since the curveball's hanging
We didn't blame Mike Fiers
No, we didn't hush it, but our barrels crushed it!
We didn't blame Mike Fiers...

the great thing about being a Mariners fan is that I can say with absolute confidence that my team never won a World Series by cheating

— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) January 16, 2020

J.D. Martinez Is Confident Investigators Will Not Find Much Evidence Against 2018 Red Sox

Most Red Sox players and coaches attending the annual Winter Weekend did not talk directly about the on-going MLB investigation into whether the 2018 Red Sox were guilty of illegally stealing signs.

J.D. Martinez did. The Athletic, WEEI, and MLB.com reported his comments:

I'm excited for the investigation to be over with just so that they can see that there was nothing going on here. [A reporter asked: That's what they'll find?] I believe so, yes. ...

I was in there [the video room], so I saw straight up. Everyone seems to forget that in 2016 and 2017, this was a really good team. They won 93 games those two years and then we just got better. Like I said, I'm excited for it. Really not allowed to comment on it, but we'll see what happens.

Rafael Devers also had a fairly direct answer. When asked if the team had done anything wrong, he said: "No. I don't think so."

I want to think Martinez would not have bothered to say anything if it wasn't true. We will know for sure in a couple of weeks.

Rob Bradford writes:

While Martinez's comments were on-the-record, out in front of cameras and microphones, multiple sources involved in the 2018 championship run have been echoing the same tone as the designated hitter/outfielder behind the scenes, suggesting that the Red Sox are innocent. ...

One major league source said there is currently a belief that MLB's findings are trending to be released sometime in the first week of February.

Other comments:

Christian Vazquez:

I don't want to talk about what happened. ... [I]t's tough to make comments on that. I know our manager got fired, but it's tough to answer those questions.

Jackie Bradley:

[W]e'll find out when you all find out. Your guess is as good as mine.

Nathan Eovaldi:

I feel like it's going to pass and everything is going to be fine.

Ron Roenicke (bench coach):

[T]o have an allegation made that deters from that feeling of what we accomplished, it's hard. Your friends hear that. Your family hears that. And they question, like everybody else has. So to do something that good, and then have it maybe tarnished some, it's tough.

Carlos Febles (third base coach):

It's an ongoing investigation. We're not allowed to comment about that at this point.

Rob Manfred Has Zero Credibility - With Players And With Fans - And It's His Own Fault

Bradford William Davis, Daily News:

On Thursday, Tommy Pham posted a picture of a wrinkle on Jose Altuve's jersey. ...

The Padres outfielder, who was eliminated by Altuve's Astros while with the Rays in 2019's ALDS, posted it in response to an MLB statement about the rumored use of electronic buzzers by Astros hitters to signal the upcoming pitch. "MLB explored wearable devices during the investigation but found no evidence to substantiate it," the league told reporters on Thursday after players egged on rumors of Astros hitters using electronic buzzers.

That's a somewhat weaker denial than commissioner Rob Manfred gave Sports Illustrated on Monday. "I will tell you this: we found no Band-Aid buzzer issues," Manfred said three days ago. "There's a lot of paranoia out there."

It was the latest evolution in a neverending spate of allegations against the Astros, and conspiracies about rampant sign-stealing across baseball. ...

Pham's response, a response then echoed by players across the league, shows how quickly trust has eroded between the game's players and its leaders.

How did we get to a place where a burner account baldly lying about being Carlos Beltran's niece has more equity with fans and players than the league? ...

On sign stealing, Rob Manfred said that MLB's investigation "revealed no evidence to suggest that GM Jeff Luhnow was unaware of the banging scheme," referring to the trash can Astros personnel whacked from the dugout to relay stolen signs to Houston batters. Mere sentences later, Manfred wrote, "there is both documentary and testimonial evidence that indicates Luhnow had some evidence of those efforts, but he did not give it much attention."

In other words Luhnow was aware of the sign-stealing attempts but not what is, literally, the loudest part of the sign-stealing attempt. Good luck parsing that. ...

But while blaming Luhnow, Manfred absolved Astros owner Jim Crane. Relying on Crane, Luhnow's boss — to steer the Astros to integrity is ridiculous, and that's before you get to his scandal-ridden business career. ...

Manfred said Crane was "extraordinarily troubled and upset by the conduct of members of his organization" and claimed Crane "fully supported" his investigation. Yet, moments after the report was released, Crane rejected Manfred's assessment of his franchise and its problematic culture. ...

Baseball's commissioner has tasked the Astros' owner with cleaning up a problem he does not believe exists.

It makes sense, though, in a larger pattern of Manfred minimizing the scandal before a full reckoning had come.

After Mike Fiers blew the whistle to The Athletic, Manfred vehemently denied the widespread nature of sign stealing. "I have no reason to believe it extends beyond the Astros at this point in time," Manfred told ESPN's Jeff Passan in November.

The same report that fingered the Astros hinted that other teams were also cheating. Guess what: It extended beyond the Astros. ...

Manfred's credibility among fans is gone. If the players don't believe him either, then how can he run their game?

Manfred's promised "really, really thorough investigation" has prompted more questions than conclusions; any reason to believe Manfred fades with every reported article, suspicious video clip and blurry tweet.

Craig Calcaterra, Twitter:

Major League Baseball's "we do things only when the PR becomes a big problem" approach is probably something Manfred should rethink.

I mean, they were doing nothing despite obvious suspicion inside the game and only acted in response to The Athletic story. Then said "just the Astros, no one else." Then another story, then Red Sox get investigated. So . . .

. . . when Manfred says "no evidence of devices!" he has no credibility. And of course, given that he only reacts, he is inviting Pham and other players to go public. Because that, obviously, is all he responds to.

It's like Selig and PEDs. Nada until Caminiti and Canseco went public in 2002. And then only actual action in response to more external pressure over years.

In some instances, sure, as a leader of a pubic-facing institution you don't go crazy unless you have reason to. But when it deals with the very basis of your business - competitive integrity - you had better be more proactive than reactive.

Anyway: this is what happens when your priorities are out of whack. And MLB's priorities, while always questionable to some degree or any toner, have been more out of whack under Manfred than at any time in decades. So none of this is terribly shocking.

On Thursday, Baseball Lost Its Mind. One GM: "This Is the Greatest Thing I've Ever Seen."

Some people have complained that the punishments leveled by MLB on the Houston Astros for cheating in 2017 were not tough enough. But if the Astros hire Buck Showalter to replace AJ Hinch as manager, those people will likely change their minds. They may even feel the Astros have been punished too severely.

One day after "baseball lost its mind", former pitcher Jack McDowell (1993 AL Cy Young winner) alleged during a radio interview on Friday that Tony LaRussa created an illegal sign-stealing operation at Comiskey Park in the late 1980s. LaRussa managed the White Sox from 1979 to 1986.

McDowell said LaRussa (who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2014) had a camera installed that could zoom in on opposing catchers' signs. A light in an outfield Gatorade sign, controlled from the manager's office, let batters know what pitches were coming.

I'm going to whistle-blow this thing now, because I'm getting tired of this crap. ... He was also the head of the first team ... with people doing steroids. Yet he's still in the game making half a million. No one's gonna go after that. ... This stuff's getting old, where they target certain guys and let other people off the hook. ... Everybody who's been around the game knows all this stuff.

McDowell said everyone in the game has collectively decided to ignore the issue of illegal sign-stealing, just as they buried their heads in the sand regarding steroids. But they may not be able to cover up the issue any longer.

In a now-deleted Instagram post, veteran first baseman Logan Morrison described the Commissioner's report as "FAKE news" and said the Astros were cheating in 2014:

Hello fans. Just wanted to take some time to educate everyone on this sign stealing 'scandal' we have going on. This is all something I have witnessed or heard. So many teams are doing this. Exactly how many… I'm not sure.

The Manfred report that came out is straight FAKE news. This started in Houston well before [Alex] Cora got there. I was playing in Seattle in 2014 and every time we went into Houston you would hear this banging. No one put two and two together. Seattle fans may remember we came with in a game of going to the playoffs. Felix should have won a CY young that year. But couldn't get pasted [sic] the 5th in Houston.

I know from first hand accounts that the Yankees, Dodgers, Astros and Red Sox have used film to pick signs. Just want you guys to know the truth. I personally think it's a tool in a tool belt to pick signs, but if we are going to be punishing people for it. Don't half ass it.

Fun Sidebar Tidbit: During the 2017 season, Morrison (with 24 home runs) did not receive an invitation to the Home Run Derby, but MFY Gary Sanchez (who had only 13) did. Morrison: "I remember when I had 14 home runs. That was a month and a half ago." In 2018, Morrison insulted Yankees fans who were upset with his comments. "You can't fix stupid, you know?"

Also on Friday, Ken Rosenthal commented on his postgame interview with Jose Altuve after Altuve's home run sent the Astros to the 2019 World Series:

All those asking if I "knew something" when I asked Altuve about refusing to allow teammates to rip off his jersey . . . hardly. In my rush to get onto the field, I did not even see Altuve cross home plate. Producer suggested question in my ear as I conducted the interview.

Unfortunately, amid the noise and nuttiness of the moment, Rosenthal failed to follow-up after Altuve gave the extremely strange answer that his wife would be angry if his teammates ripped his jersey.

Rosenthal's latest article on this issue includes this knee-slapper:

Not one Astros player told MLB investigators he understood he was committing a violation, a source said.

Rosenthal writes that MLB's decision to not punish any Astros players "frustrated some executives and baffled many fans". And he had some questions:

•  If players who use performance-enhancing drugs are disciplined for cheating, why not players who participated in the Astros' scheme?

•  After MLB offered players immunity for honest testimony, what will compel players to tell investigators anything more than, "I have no recollection," if they only get punished for lying?

•  What kind of message does it send that players can get away with what the Astros did while getting their manager and GM fired and costing their team $5 million and four high draft picks?

•  And finally, why shouldn't players cheat if they are impervious to punishment?

The Astros' hitters not only escaped penalty, but also presumably benefited from their wrongdoing as well, producing better numbers, landing bigger contracts.

Yet MLB has answers — valid answers — to each question. ...

As Manfred wrote in his decision, "assessing discipline for this type of conduct is both difficult and impractical."

Difficult because while virtually every player had some involvement or knowledge of the scheme, Manfred could not determine with certainty which players did what. Impractical because of the large number of players involved, and because 12 of the position players are now with other clubs while four no longer are active.

Claiming that disciplining obvious cheaters would be "impractical" because "because of the large number of players involved" is nonsense. Is Rosenthal suggesting that there is a tipping-point of cheating, after which MLB would throw up its hands and let everyone do whatever they want?

It sounds as though if a team wants to cheat, it's best to have the entire roster involved. That way, if they are caught, there will be no punishment (whereas it would be easy to suspend two or three guys). Regardless, there are plenty of players in the minors to fill any team's suddenly-vacant roster spots.

Jeff Passan, ESPN:

Baseball lost its mind Thursday. Every sport endures this: part-cleansing, part-reckoning, part-recalibration — a day to release everything, good, bad and otherwise, a full-throated scream into the void. It was inevitable, building up over the previous three days, each unforgettable in its own right. History will treat Thursday as a footnote, even if it said as much about the sport's current state as Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday combined.

It started with a discussion about whether the player who helped expose the game's biggest cheating scandal in a century was a whistleblower or a narc, moved on to the firing of a manager who hadn't even managed a game, degenerated into anonymous Twitter accounts lobbing entirely uncorroborated accusations of even worse cheating, giddily grew into a miasma of conspiratorial, frame-by-frame breakdowns of jerseys and lip-reading and confetti. It was a beautiful, ugly, transfixing, maddening, godforsaken mess, simultaneously addictive and repulsive. For one day, baseball felt like a real modern sport, full of verve, and not one stuck in the morass of its past.

"This is the greatest thing I've ever seen," one general manager said midafternoon, when — and this is a real thing — he called to ask whether the fired New York Mets manager actually had a niece who was tweeting about the 2019 Houston Astros wearing buzzers under their uniforms that let them know which pitch was coming. "I want to take this day and freeze it in time so I can keep living it."

By the end of Thursday, Major League Baseball and a target of the accusations both had chimed in, players across the sport had offered their feelings on the matter — a matter that still, it is important to note, has zero factual backing — and the 12-hour fire hose of raw, uncut content had satiated the masses with plenty of leftovers for the next day. ...

What unfolded Jan. 16, 2020, then, wasn't some anomalous event, a string of accidents and coincidences and happenstance. It was an evolutionary byproduct of a baseball world gone bonkers, one in which the ridiculous — hammering a trash can with a bat — is true. Just because you're paranoid, Joseph Heller might have said, doesn't mean they aren't wearing buzzing Band-Aids. ...

MLB had addressed 2019 in its report: "The investigation revealed no violations of the policy by the Astros in the 2019 season or 2019 Postseason." Suddenly, this was up for debate ... The crowd grew louder and ... wondered whether there was a there there.

They want to believe there is — that the Astros didn't just stop after winning the World Series or losing to the Red Sox in 2018, because that's illogical. Who finds grand success with something and ... stops? The Astros cheating in 2019 makes more sense than it doesn't. The Astros advancing beyond the trash can to something more technologically advanced does, too. And in this moment, where baseball is vulnerable, where the bounds of believability have been stretched, the plausible feels probable ...

Technology is baseball's lodestar; its limitlessness is something to be exploited by those who found no moral or ethical issues with the trash can. The buzzer will not go away because reason dictates it oughtn't. ...

When asked a week after the initial Astros story broke about the possibility of a wide-ranging, independent investigation to ensure a full accounting of baseball's cheating, Manfred said he did not believe one was necessary.

That approach, sources said, has not changed -- not even with Crane saying after firing Luhnow and Hinch: "The commissioner assured me that every team and every allegation will be checked out, and he'll conduct the same investigation he conducted on us." ...

Reclaiming control after a calamitous day like Thursday could take time. ...

This sign-stealing scandal poses by far the greatest threat of Manfred's commissionership ... Thursday synopsized what Manfred faces: a scandal that no matter how tidily he tries to bow-wrap it remains, at least for now, maybe forever, amorphous, full of surprises, ever ready to grow another tentacle. ... It's there, coiled and poised, all possibility, every day ready to lose its mind like Jan. 16, 2020.

Passan also reports that two players told him during the Astros/Red Sox 2018 ALCS that "Astros players had been hitting a garbage can to share stolen signs. Major League Baseball said it was investigating. Nothing came of it."

Last November 18, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported rumours of buzzers:

In recent days I have had scouts and executives talk to me about a variety of methods they think have been or could be employed, such as a realistic-looking electronic bandage placed on a player's body that buzzes in real time to signal what is coming — one buzz for a fastball, for example — if the surveillance determines what type of pitching is coming. One person I spoke to has ties to the Astros and said he already had spoken to MLB's investigators.

Now that we have heard banging during Astros home games on numerous videos, we know there was something going on. But MLB was content to bury whatever information its investigation(s?) — garbage cans and bandage buzzers — found. Indeed, MLB buried even the existence of the investigations.

Joon Lee, ESPN:

When allegations that the Houston Astros had stolen signs electronically during their 2017 World Series championship season surfaced in November, Jimmy O'Brien was sitting in his new apartment in Harlem, waiting for some Verizon workers to finish setting up his cable internet. ...

When O'Brien read in The Athletic's report that a banging sound could be heard from the Astros' dugout whenever a changeup signal was given by an opposing team's catcher, he quickly began scouring the MLB.TV archives, using his cellphone as a hot spot. He was far from the only one to track down Chicago White Sox reliever Danny Farquhar's now-infamous 2017 appearance in Houston, but within two hours, O'Brien had pulled the video demonstrating the banging, added his voice-over commentary, and tweeted it out.

With his phone buzzing from an influx of Twitter notifications, O'Brien called his girlfriend.

"I think I opened a can of worms," he said. ...

[And so began] MLB's first uniquely 21st century scandal. ...

Eric Stephen (SB Nation) is correct when he writes: "We are at this chaotic moment in baseball history because of MLB’s sloth-like pace in cleaning up the electronic sign stealing in the first place."

Finally, I was looking at some stats last night. There are likely many explanations for the increase or decrease in these numbers, many of which may not be related to cheating, but I still thought it was interesting.

The Astros had the most batter strikeouts in the American League for three consecutive seasons (2013-2015). They had the second-most in 2016, missing the top spot by only 30 whiffs. Then, in the magical year of 2017, they had the fewest of any AL team and that has continued in the last two years:
Astros - Most Batter Strikeouts - AL Rank Among 15 Teams

2013 - # 1 in AL - 1535 K
2014 - # 1 in AL - 1442 K
2015 - # 1 in AL - 1392 K
2016 - # 2 in AL - 1452 K (30 fewer K than Rays)
2017 - #15 in AL - 1087 K
2018 - #14 in AL - 1197 K
2019 - #15 in AL - 1166 K (110 fewer than #14 team)

In 2017, the Astros cut their strikeouts at the plate by 365! Only six of the AL's 15 teams had fewer strikeouts in 2017 (as compared to 2016). (The average team had 47 more strikeouts.) The next best performances by an AL team were Cleveland, who had 93 fewer strikeouts (1,246 to 1,153), and the Twins, who had 84 fewer strikeouts (1,426 to 1,342).

There was also a significant jump in the 2017 Astros' offensive stats, as they gained 35 points in batting average, 27 points in on-base, and 61 points in slugging. The team OPS increased by 88 points while the league average increased by only 9 points.

       AVG   OBP   SLG   OPS
2016  .247  .319  .417  .735   (AL Avg: .257 / .321 / .423 / .744)
2017  .282  .346  .478  .823   (AL Avg: .256 / .324 / .429 / .753)
2018  .255  .329  .425  .754   (AL Avg: .249 / .318 / .415 / .734)
2019  .274  .352  .495  .848   (AL Avg: .253 / .323 / .439 / .762)

Someone (Possibly A Player) Claiming To Be Carlos Beltrán's Niece Tweets That Jose Altuve And Alex Bregman Wore Buzzers At The Plate; Altuve's Behaviour After Hitting Pennant-Winning Home Run Last October Is Certainly Suspicious

Wil Leitner of Fox Sports Radio calls the latest twist in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal "one of the most bizarre developing stories in baseball history".

His claim may seem a tad overheated - but this scandal is picking up speed. There is no way that Thursday's story is the end of the accusations.

[A] Twitter account alleging to be the niece of Carlos Beltrán is beginning to drop some of the most profound bombshells the MLB has ever seen.

A day after saying her uncle was stepping down as Mets manager a full 24 hours before the news of Beltrán's actual resignation officially broke, the mysterious account is now allegeding that Houston Astros superstars Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman wore 'devices that buzzed' on their shoulders, that were controlled by a hallway video guy who was already deciphering the signs of Houston opponents in real time.

The identity of the account has suddenly come into question, with ESPN's Marly Rivera now saying that that the person who claims to be 'Beltrán's niece' is not related to the Beltráns, with Beltrán's family even telling Rivera that the account @S0_Blessed1 is 'not related to the family in anyway.'

Altuve making sure he keeps that jersey on (via r/nyyankees) pic.twitter.com/OO32FVFxTi

— Kenny Ducey (@KennyDucey) January 16, 2020

The original headline on Leitner's story - "Carlos Beltrán's Niece Says Jose Altuve & Alex Bregman Wore Buzzers At Bat" - has been changed (though the url still has the original headline in it): "Videos and Images Surface of Astros Possibly Wearing Buzzers in 2019 ALCS".

That Twitter account (now deleted or taken offline) used the initials QT. As far as the accuracy of QT's reporting, it should be noted that QT stated - more than 24 hours before the story broke - that Beltrán was going to resign as manager of the Mets (and supposedly had the news of his hiring several days before it was announced). The account had the name "Gabby" at that time.

In addition to Rivera's report, Gary Sheffield Jr. tweeted that QT is a player: "Carlos Beltrán's niece ain't his niece you hooligans. That's a player."

Jimmy O'Brien (@Jomboy_), who posted numerous videos last November in which banging noises could be heard as the Astros batted at home and matched up the bangs with what type of pitch was thrown, tweeted:

5 different people within baseball, not connected to each other at all, have told me 'the buzzers are very real' with the same details and shit.

Former Cleveland (and current Reds) pitcher Trevor Bauer tweeted that he has "heard this from multiple players too, for what it's worth".

Just after Beltrán resigned, QT tweeted: "I have pictures from locker [sic] I will keep for rainy day. Altuve didn't want shirt torn off if I remember [sic] maybe I misspoke but Chapman gave up HR in game."

Altuve's home run clinched the 2019 American League pennant for Houston. Aroldis Chapman of the Yankees gave up the dong and he looked bemused before walking off the mound. His reaction may be suddenly starting to make more sense.

As Altuve rounded third and jogged toward the plate, he grabbed the top of his jersey and signaled to his teammates, waiting to mob him at the plate, not rip off his jersey. Then, as his teammates celebrate on the field, Altuve heads straight into the Astros' dugout and disappears down the tunnel. Back on the field, he puts on an official "AL Champs" t-shirt over his jersey before being interviewed.

Altuve's explanation to Ken Rosenthal (of Fox and The Athletic) was strange: "I don't know. I'm too shy. Last time they did that, I got in trouble with my wife."

Why in the world would his wife care if his uniform shirt (of which he must have several) was damaged? What if his jersey got champagne on it during the pennant-winning celebration? Would she yell at Jose for that too? Does this woman do the Astros' laundry?

Rosenthal says at one point: "You just told me you were ready for that 2-1 pitch."

James Zeht tweet:

On top of the adrenaline pumping and telling ur teammates not to rip your jersey off, your the first one to go into the clubhouse while everyone else celebrates on the field and puts the shirt on over the jersey?

Starting 9 tweet:

The rest of the organization is celebrating on the field, should I join them? ...No I need to go put a different top on. Immediately.

Yankees announcer Michael Kay claims Altuve had wires under his jersey when he screamed at teammates not to rip his jersey off after hitting the walk-off dong.

"Why was [Jose Altuve] screaming, 'Don't rip off my jersey!'" after the 2019 ALCS, @RealMichaelKay wonders.

Sheffield Jr. replied to Kay: "you’re spot on ... This is something that's been going on for over 2 years now."

Joel Sherman of the New York Post posted a series of tweets this afternoon (and wrote an article):

from MLB with so much coming out publicly about Altuve HR to end ALCS and other incidents: "MLB explored wearable devices during the investigation but found no evidence to substantiate it." That investigation, MLB said, includes 2019.

Reach out to Scott Boras about his client Jose Altuve: "When this came up today, Jose Altuve immediately contacted me and this is his statement: 'I have never worn an electronic device in my performance as a major league player.'" #Astros

I asked Boras about Altuve not wanting to have his shirt ripped off as he came to home plate to end the ALCS and Boras said, "that is the shyness of Jose Altuve." Said his client didn't want the shirt ripped off.

Boras did not want to get into 2017 and the #Astros, but said of Altuve, "He has been transparent and truthful with MLB and their investrigation."

More Boras: "(Altuve) has never been involved in any information with the use of an electornic device that is triggered during the course of the game."

Last from Boras: "Fans need to keep in mind that there are a lot of players who are in the spider web, but they are not the black widow just because they are a member of the team or the league." #Astros #Altuve

Sherman also tweeted a line from MLB's Report on the 2017 Astros: "MLB explored wearable devices during the investigation but found no evidence to substantiate it." MLB said that investigation included 2019.

Presented without comment:

Finally, another QT tweet implied the Yankees are cheating in a similar way: "Just make sure they check Gleyber next year left leg ... Yankees use two video guys hide one in Bullpen with live feed".

The Athletic reported:

As far back as 2015, the Yankees used the video replay room to learn other teams' sign sequences, [according to] multiple sources ...

It was noted that the Astros' sign-stealing idea was brought in by a player from his previous team.

Beltrán played for the Yankees during 2014-16. Was he part of the alleged cheating going on in New York? And was he the new player in Houston (in 2017) who had a plan to cheat in his back pocket?

Brian McCann's years with the Yankees (2014-16) and Astros (2017-18) are almost identical to Beltrán's. (McCann was a self-anointed Judge Of Playing The Game The Right Way (i.e., an asshole), often barking at opposing players after they did things he personally disapproved of, so if he's identified, that will be fun.)

Finally finally, this August 2018 tweet from the Astros' account is a little too much on the nose.

Cora Admitted To Red Sox Brass That He Played A Central Role In Astros' Cheating Operation

In a press conference held on Wednesday afternoon, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner said former manager Alex Cora admitted he "played a central role in what happened in Houston".

I assume Cora's possible involvement in illegal hijinks regarding the 2018 Red Sox was also a topic of conversation at that meeting, but nothing was said about that.

Kennedy did tell everyone that the jettisoning of Cora was "exclusively" related to the results of the Astros investigation and unrelated to the ongoing investigation of the Red Sox. (Which is probably not true, but MLB is still investigating the Red Sox, so that's what he has to say.)

Werner:

We all agreed that it was wrong, and we had a responsibility ... to have a standard here where that sort of behavior is not acceptable. ... [E]veryone went into that meeting trying to answer the question, "What was in the best interest of the Boston Red Sox?" Alex was professional, understanding that he had made a mistake ... He admitted that what he did was wrong ... [I]t's disappointing, but ... we've turned the page, and after this press conference, we're gonna address the 2020 season.

Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom:

It's really disappointing. ... I had really high regard for his talents as a manager and I still do. Unfortunately because of what came out in that report, it just wasn't possible ... [T]here's nothing but sadness that this is where we are.

Bloom stated that he'd like to hire a manager (possibly an interim manager for 2020) "as soon as possible". He added that this is a "unique situation" and he did not rule out the possibility that the Red Sox could enter spring training without a manager.

There's no question it's an unusual time to be doing a managerial search ... being this close to spring training. ... We would want to make sure that whoever is in that chair next has the ability to handle it.

On June 30, 2019, at London Stadium, Ken Davidoff of the Post asked Red Sox manager Alex Cora to talk about how "your pitchers took a beating these last couple of days".

Cora trotted out the usual cliches — the Yankees can score runs, the Red Sox have to play better, etc. — and then he mentioned Carlos Beltran, at that time an adviser for the Yankees. Cora winked when he said Beltran's name and he talked about Beltran's ability to steal signs and how much respect he had for Beltran's skills. (In 2017, Beltran was with the Astros playing the final season of his career and Cora was the bench coach.)

None of this really had anything to do with Boston's pitchers taking a pounding that weekend. Cora said he wasn't accusing Beltran of doing anything illegal — "I'm not saying devices, all that stuff". Afterwards, Cora found Davidoff and repeated that he wasn't implying Beltran was doing anything wrong.

Here's video of the Alex Cora soundbite we just played on @WFANmornings. This was following the Yankees' sweep of Boston in the 2019 London Series. Check out the wink after he brings up Carlos Beltran's name around :27 and unprovoked usage of the word "devices." (h/t @Pacmangrig) pic.twitter.com/HgkglIoB7O

— Chris Lopresti (@CLoprestiWFAN) January 15, 2020

MLB Offers "A Carefully Orchestrated, Meticulously Calibrated, Thorough And Impressive Whitewashing"; Grievances Against Astros For Sign-Stealing Were Buried By MLB, Which Acted Only After The Information Was Made Public

"A thorough and impressive whitewashing.
Tidy, clean, carefully orchestrated, meticulously calibrated."

Those are the words of ESPN's Jeff Passan, describing Commissioner Rob Manfred's investigation and disciplinary decisions regarding the illegal sign-stealing committed by the 2017 Houston Astros. Passan also reports on growing anger around the game concerning the relatively soft punishments for the Astros.

Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were suspended (and then fired) despite MLB's statement that the sign-stealing operation was "player-driven". The lost draft picks were (in Passan's words) "painful but not crippling" and the $5 million fine is "couch-cushion change for every owner in baseball" (though, interestingly, it is the highest amount Manfred could levy under the MLB constitution).

MLB played the part of "the big, bad monolith in delivering the ruinous news from on high", but that's not the impression received by many others in the game.

One team owner: "Crane won. The entire [investigation] was programmed to protect the future of the franchise. He got his championship. He keeps his team. His fine is nothing. The sport lost, but Crane won."

Passan notes (my emphasis):

[I]t was easy to miss how MLB soft-pedaled Crane's punishment. In the first paragraph of Manfred's nine-page statement outlining the league's investigation, he addressed the original report by The Athletic that spurred the controversy. How there was "significant concern" that what the Astros were alleged to have done violated "the principles of sportsmanship and fair competition" and how he treats such threats to the game with "the utmost seriousness." He continued: "I believe in transparency." And then, after that on-point thesis, came two completely out-of-place sentences.

"At the outset," Manfred wrote, "I also can say our investigation revealed absolutely no evidence that Jim Crane, the owner of the Astros, was aware of any of the conduct described in this report. Crane is extraordinarily troubled and upset by the conduct of members of his organization, fully supported my investigation, and provided unfettered access to any and all information requested."

The absolution of Crane so early in the document came as no surprise. Crane said he saw details of the league's punishment over the weekend. It allowed him to introduce himself as a do-something organizational shepherd. He announced the firings of Luhnow and Hinch on live TV, generating maximum effect. ...

Initially, Manfred planned on limiting the investigation to the Astros. ... Sports Illustrated reported that the Astros named eight other teams they believe cheated in 2017 and 2018 -- and Crane said "the commissioner assured me that every team and every allegation will be checked out."

That sounds far-fetched, like the sort of politicking a commissioner does to placate one of his bosses. ...

Luhnow ... said in a statement, "I am not a cheater." That doesn't exactly square with the fact that the team he ran cheated during its championship-winning season and with the information in Manfred's report that "at least two emails sent to Luhnow" informed him of replay-review room sign decoding, about which he did nothing. Luhnow continued to try to clear himself of responsibility while blaming "players" and "low-level employees working with the bench coach." ...

"[Manfred's disciplinary choices] will scare employees of MLB teams from cheating, at least for a while," one high-ranking executive said, "and the man who owns the team gets to enjoy his ring. He gets off lightly and can start with a clean slate."

This refrain was common inside the game, and it came with a question that was rhetorical-but-not-really ... How many owners in baseball would trade $5 million, four high draft picks and the firing of their GM and manager in exchange for a World Series title?

Twenty-five? Twenty-eight? All 30? ...

Whatever the answer, the remaining two mentions of Crane in Manfred's report do yeoman's work of clearing him. The first said it was "difficult to question" Crane giving Luhnow responsibility of baseball operations. The second stated, as fact, that Crane "was unaware of any of the violations of MLB rules by his club." And that was it. A thorough and impressive whitewashing. Tidy, clean, carefully orchestrated, meticulously calibrated. The Houston Astros, same as they ever were.

Alden Gonzalez and Jesse Rogers, writing for ESPN, spoke to more than 15 executives, coaches, scouts and players, who offered their comments (anonymously) about the Astros' cheating scandal and MLB's punishments.

The two writers ask: "How can a player-driven scheme not punish any players?"

That would seem to make no sense, but one player stated: "You can't punish a whole team. And some of those guys are not with the Astros anymore. It has to be the organization. Like in college football -- when there's misconduct, by the time it's found, most players and sometimes coaches are gone. The fans and the current players take the brunt of the punishment. Same here."

One club executive: "It doesn't seem like there are any consequences for players for doing this stuff, so as a result, why would they stop? I suppose if they see how much trouble they can get their manager in, then maybe that will matter."

Gonzalez and Rogers also report that as far back as 2016, it was "a pretty open secret among [opposing teams] that the Astros were stealing signs in some fashion". One pitcher stated:

I faced Carlos Beltran in 2017. I actually went back and looked at the AB. I knew it could be the last time I might pitch against him and I wanted to get him out. He was always such a hard out. I got ahead 0-2, then he laid off four straight pitches. I couldn't believe it. When I went back to watch it, I heard the banging. I just figured I was tipping or whatever. No one knew to what extent they were doing it, but we all suspected something.

One player said that grievances were filed, but MLB did not act until the issue reached the public.

I would have appreciated some additional information on this point. It would appear MLB learned exactly zero from The Steroid Era.

With Only 27 Days Before Pitchers & Catchers Report, The Red Sox Do Not Have A Manager

In what was described as a "collective decision", the Red Sox front office (owner John Henry, chairman Tom Werner, and president/CEO Sam Kennedy) and Alex Cora have "mutually agreed to part ways". A press conference is scheduled for Wednesday at 1:00 pm (ET).

Today we met to discuss the Commissioner's report related to the Houston Astros investigation. Given the findings and the Commissioner's ruling, we collectively decided that it would not be possible for Alex to effectively lead the club going forward and we mutually agreed to part ways.

Cora's dismissal comes one day after MLB released its report on the Astros' 2017 sign-stealing operation, an illegal scheme Cora played an essential role in developing. Cora likely had a role in the 2018 Red Sox's sign-stealing. MLB is not announcing any punishment for Cora until that later investigation is complete. Considering Cora's involvement in two sign-stealing operations with two different teams over two consecutive seasons, a suspension of two or three seasons (or even a lifetime ban) is possible.

From Cora's portion of the statement:

We agreed today that parting ways was the best thing for the organization. I do not want to be a distraction to the Red Sox as they move forward. My two years as manager were the best years of my life. It was an honor to manage these teams and help bring a World Series Championship back to Boston. ... This is a special place. There is nothing like it in all of baseball, and I will miss it dearly.

Red Sox pitchers and catchers will report to spring training camp in less than one month (February 11) and by that time the team will have its fifth manager in the past 10 years. That manager will inherit, in the words of The Athletic's Jen McCaffrey, "a team with a boatload of roster uncertainty ... one that's now mired in scandal and facing ... potential draft pick losses, fines and suspensions".

An Addition To Red Sox's To-Do List For 2020: Find A New Manager

MLB released its findings from its investigation into Houston's sign-stealing allegations during the 2017 season. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were both suspended without pay for the 2020 season. A punishment at least as severe is coming for Red Sox manager Alex Cora, as well. Shortly after MLB's announcement, the Astros fired Luhnow and Hinch.

The investigation also determined that Red Sox manager Alex Cora - a bench coach with the 2017 Astros - "was involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the reply review room to decode and transmit signs. Cora participated in both schemes and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players' conduct."

Manfred said he would announce Cora's punishment after MLB completes its investigation of the Red Sox's alleged sign stealing in 2018.

From MLB's report:

Early in the [2017] season, Alex Cora, the Astros' bench coach, began to call the replay review room on the replay phone to obtain the sign information. On at least some occasions, the employees in the replay review room communicated the sign sequence information by text message, which was received on the smart watch of a staff member on the bench, or in other cases on a cell phone stored nearby. Approximately two months into the 2017 season, a group of players, including Carlos Beltrán, discussed that the team could improve on decoding opposing teams' signs and communicating the signs to the batter.

Cora arranged for a video room technician to install a monitor displaying the center field camera feed immediately outside of the Astros' dugout. (The center field camera was primarily used for player development purposes and was allowed under MLB rules at the time when used for that purpose.) Witnesses have provided largely consistent accounts of how the monitor was utilized. One or more players watched the live feed of the center field camera on the monitor, and after decoding the sign, a player would bang a nearby trash can with a bat to communicate the upcoming pitch type to the batter.

According to the report, Hinch opposed both of his team's illegal operations and on two occasions smashed the dugout monitor that was being used. However, he also admitted that he did not stop the practice or tell his players or Cora that he disapproved of it. If he received a one-year suspension, I would expect Cora - who helped develop the illegal schemes and was an active participant and undoubtedly played a key role in the Red Sox's sign-stealing operations the following season - to receive a much stronger suspension. It is likely his Red Sox career is over.

No Pitcher Has Faced 40 Batters In The Last 11 Years

Starting pitchers are rarely allowed to face a lineup for the fourth time. Last season, a starting pitcher faced 30+ batters (three times through the lineup and at least the top three batters in the order for a fourth time) 104 times. That's out of 4,858 starts, or 4.3%.

Eleven full seasons have passed since a pitcher last faced 40 batters. That was CC Sabathia of the Brewers, who faced 40 Astros on August 18, 2008, throwing 130 pitches in Milwaukee's 9-3 win. (Indeed, only 29 pitchers have thrown 130+ pitches in those 11 years, with only three having topped 134 (and two of those games were no-hitters).)

Before that, 40+ BF happened once in 2002 (Bartolo Colon), once in 2001 (Chris Carpenter), once in 2000 (Kenny Rogers), once in 1999 (Tom Glavine), and six times in 1998.

Since Sabathia, the highest number of batters faced has been 38: Gio Gonzalez of the Nationals, against the Astros on August 8, 2012, and Cliff Lee of the Phillies, against Atlanta on April 16, 2014.

The number of times a pitcher has faced 40+ batters over the last nine decades is a startling illustration of how the management of pitching (and pitchers) has changed in major league baseball. In the last 39 seasons, 0 pitchers have faced 50 batters. It happened six times in a two-week period in 1949 (May 17-31).

1930-1939:  2503    (High: 87 - Eddie Rommel, Athletics, July 10, 1932
                                17-29-14-9-7; 18-17 (18) win over Cleveland
 
1940-1949:  1967    (High: 74 - Les Mueller, Tigers, July 21, 1945
                                19.2-13-1-5-6; 1-1 (24) tie with Athletics

1950-1959:  1150    (High: 71 - Robin Roberts, Phillies, September 6, 1952 (G1)
                                17-18-6-3-5 (CG); 7-6 (17) win over Boston

1960-1969:   622    (High: 62 - Tom Cheney, Senators, September 12, 1962
                                16-10-1-4-21 (CG); 2-1 (16) win over Orioles

1970-1979:   769    (High: 58 - Nolan Ryan, Angels, June 14, 1974
                                13-8-3-10-19; 4-3 (15) win over Red Sox*

1980-1989:   282    (High: 53 - Larry Gura, Royals, May 21, 1980
                                13-12-2-2-6; 2-4 (14) loss to Athletics

1990-1999:    34    (High: 46 - Tim Wakefield, Pirates, April 27, 1993
                                10-6-2-10-1, 172; 6-2 win (11) over Atlanta

2000-2009:     4    (High: 42 - Chris Carpenter, Blue Jays, June 9, 2001
                                9-9-6-6-5, 122 (CG); 1-6 loss to Marlins

2010-2019:     0

*: Luis Tiant (14.1-11-4-4-5) pitched a complete game for Boston, facing 56 batters, one of only four pitchers in the 1970s to do so (Ryan (58), Ross Grimsley (56), Rudy May (56)).

The record for batters faced is 96, set by Brooklyn's Leon Cadore, on May 1, 1920, in a 26-inning, 1-1 tie with Boston. He went six batters into his 11th (!) time through the lineup. His opponent that day was Joe Oeschger, who is #2 all-time, with 90 batters faced. Both men pitched a complete game that afternoon.

Oeschger is also tied for #7 on the all-time list, having faced 82 batters for the Phillies on April 30, 1919, pitching 20 innings (another complete game) in a 9-9 tie against Brooklyn.

Mookie Betts Agrees to $27 Million Salary For 2020

Mookie Betts agreed to a record-setting arbitration deal on Friday, signing a contract for 2020 for $27 million.

Betts, who turned 27 last October, has said several times over the past few seasons that he will see what the free agency market can offer after the 2020 season.

In March 2019, Betts said: "I love it here. This is a great place to be, to spend your career here. That doesn't mean you sell yourself short." Last July, he said: "I love the front office, my teammates, coaches. Everybody. It's been nothing but amazing here. Just because you go to free agency doesn't mean you don't want to be somewhere. It's just a part of the business."

If the Red Sox want Mookie Betts to be wearing a Red Sox uniform in 2021 (and beyond), they will have to compete with the other 29 teams and sign him over next winter. Jen McCaffrey of The Athletic wonders about the likelihood of that scenario — with the possibility of the Red Sox reducing payroll for 2021 and beyond:

[A] free agent returning to his original team isn't all that common ...

Among the top 100 active leaders in WAR, there's just one example that comes close. Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox, who re-signed this offseason in Chicago after reaching free agency, is the only player in that group to have reached free agency for the first time and then re-sign with the team with which he spent his entire career — without previously having agreed to a contract extension with that team.

And Abreu is not even a great Betts comparison, for several reasons: His age (Abreu turns 33 at the end of the month) and the fact he began his career as an international free agent with the White Sox. As a drafted player, Betts hasn't had that kind of leverage in contract negotiations outside of a few million dollars in arbitration.

In other words, Betts entering free agency for the first time and re-signing with his original team without ever having signed an extension would be unprecedented among current players of his caliber over the last decade, when contracts ballooned into the $300 million range.

While there's no template for Betts re-signing in Boston after the 2020 season, there are still a handful of players who loosely fit that mold.

Arenado is one who signed an extension entering his final year. In fact, shortly after he set the arbitration record for highest salary to a final-year arbitration player at $26 million, he signed an eight-year, $260 million deal with the Rockies. It doesn't seem like Betts is trending in the extension direction, but he does find himself in a similar spot to Arenado at this time last year.

Stephen Strasburg is another close-but-not-quite fit. The 31-year-old signed a seven-year, $245 million deal to remain with the Nationals this past winter, the team he'd been with his entire career. Though it was technically his first time in free agency, Strasburg had already signed an extension with the Nationals in 2016 for seven years, $175 million that included an opt-out after 2019. The opt-out allowed him to remain with the Nationals but also to demand a higher price. If Betts does want to return to Boston, he'll likely force the Red Sox to outbid others on the open market.

Players like CC Sabathia and Adam Wainwright hit free agency multiple times and re-signed with their previous teams in New York and St. Louis, but those deals were signed well after their first forays into free agency when they'd already earned hundreds of millions of dollars. Similarly, Alex Gordon remained with the Royals after hitting free agency in 2018, but he had already signed two different contract extensions.

One commenter, Kevin D., questions McCaffrey's use of active WAR leaders (with hints of mansplaining), adding:

[T]he Red Sox will have a $27.7M advantage from an incremental payroll standpoint. Thus, $10M additional revenue for Boston gets Mookie to $37.7M a year. EVERY OTHER TEAM will need to add the full $37.7M. Not that many teams can afford it and the ones that can may have to pursue him in lieu of a current superstar on their team (NYY-Judge and Sanchez, LA-Bellinger, Buehler, Muncy etc.). This reduces the chances significantly that a bid will come in that far surpasses the Red Sox bid from a team that is as competitive as the Red Sox. ... If the Red Sox want him, all they need to do is make a fair market bid for him.

I get what he's saying about Boston's advantage, but every other team is already paying for a right fielder, so none of them would need to "add the full $37.7M" (or whatever Betts's AAV will be) as extra revenue.

The Red Sox have plenty of money to pay Betts a fair market salary (discussions of the team's desire to incur additional salary cap penalties are another story) and I'd like to think that if the various piles of money on the table next winter are the same, Mookie will choose the Red Sox's pile.