Sign-stealing leads to firings by Astros

Team fined $5 million for infractions during 2017, 2018 seasons.

HOUSTON — Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired Monday after the pair were suspended by Major League Baseball for the team’s sign-stealing during Houston’s run to the 2017 World Series title and during the 2018 season.

In the sport’s largest scandal since the Biogenesis drug suspensions in 2013, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced the discipline Monday and strongly hinted that current Boston manager Alex Cora— the Astros bench coach in 2017 — will face equal or more severe punishment. Manfred said Cora developed the sign-stealing system used by the Astros. The Red Sox are under investigation for sign stealing in Cora’s first season as manager in 2018, when the Red Sox won the World Series.

Houston was fined $5 million for sign-stealing by the team during its run to the 2017 World Series title and during the 2018 season — the maximum allowed under the Major League Constitution. The Astros will forfeit their next two first- and second-round draft picks. In addition, former Astros GM Brandon Taubman was suspended through the World Series for his conduct during last year’s AL Championship Series, when his profane remarks directed at female reporters led to his firing by Houston, which at first denied the incident and later apologized.

Man fred said team owner Jim Crane was not aware of the sign-stealing. An hour after MLB

announced its decision, Crane opened a news conference by saying Hinch and Luhnow were fired. “We need to move forward with a clean slate,” he said.

Houston was a big leaguebest 204-120 during the two years in question, winning its first title. Manfred painted a picture of a team management solely focused on winning. “It is very clear to me that the culture of the baseball operations department, manifesting itself in the way its employees are treated, its relations with other clubs, and its relations with the media and external stakeholders, has been very problematic,” Manfred wrote in a ninepage statement. “At least in my view, the baseball operations department’s insular culture — one that valued and rewarded results over other considerations, combined with a staff of individuals who often lacked direction or sufficient oversight, led, at least in part, to the Brandon Taubman incident, the club’s admittedly inappropriate and inaccurate response to that incident, and finally, to an environment that allowed the conduct described in this report to have occurred.”

Manfred said Hinch was aware of the system but did not tell Luhnow. “As the person with responsibility for managing his players and coaches, there simply is no justification for Hinch’s failure to act,” Manfred said.

“Although Luhnow denies having any awareness that his replay review room staff was decoding and transmitting signs, there is both documentary and testimonial evidence that indicates Luhnow had some knowledge of those efforts, but he did not give it much attention. Irrespective of Luhnow’s knowledge of his club’s violations of the rules, I will hold him personally accountable for the conduct of his club.”

Current New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran, then a player with the Astros, was among the group involved. Manfred said no Astros players will be disciplined because he decided to hold a team’s manager and GM responsible.

“Virtually all of the Astros’ players had some involvement or knowledge of the scheme, and I am not in a position based on the investigative record to determine with any degree of certainty every player who should be held accountable, or their relative degree of culpability,“Manfred wrote. “It is impractical given the large number of players involved, and the fact that many of those players now play for other clubs.”

Baseball’s investigation began when former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, now with Oakland, made the allegations in a report by The Athletic on Nov. 12. MLB’s Department of Investigations interviewed 27 witnesses, including 23 current and former Houston players, and reviewed emails, other communications, videos and photographs.

ASSOCIATED PRESS General manager Jeff Luhnow (left) and manager AJ Hinch have been fired after being suspended by Major League Baseball. The Astros also will forfeit their next two first- and second-round draft picks and received the maximum fine allowed by MLB.