Ex-big league pitcher files suit against Astros
Former major league pitcher Mike Bolsinger sued the Houston Astros on Monday, claiming their sign-stealing scheme contributed to a poor relief appearance in August 2017 that essentially ended his big league career.
Bolsinger’s suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeks unspecified damages for interfering with and harming his career. He’s also asking that the Astros forfeit their nearly $30 million in postseason shares from their 2017 World Series title, with the money going to children’s charities in Los Angeles and a fund for needy retired players.
According to the suit, Bolsinger, then a reliever with the Toronto Blue Jays, was put into a game at Houston on Aug. 4, 2017, and allowed four runs, four hits and three walks in one-third of an inning in a 16-7 loss. The suit said the right-hander “was immediately terminated and cut from the team, never to return to Major League Baseball again.”
He was demoted to Triple-A and hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since.
Commissioner Rob Manfred found the Astros broke rules against electronic sign stealing in 2017, including during the postseason.
According to MLB’s investigation, the Astros used a video feed to steal opposing teams’ signs and then tipped off their batters to off-speed pitches by banging on a garbage can.
According to Bolsinger’s lawsuit, graphic designer and web developer Tony Adams wrote a web application to document every instance of banging on a trash can during Astros home games in 2017. He found that the most bangs
occurred in that Aug. 4, 2017, game, including on 12 of 29 pitches Bolsinger threw, the lawsuit said.
DODGERS-ANGELS TRADE
OFFICIALLY OFF >> The Los Angeles Angels confirmed that a pending trade — presumably the acquisition of Dodgers outfielder Joc Pederson and two others — is off. General manager Bill Eppler released a statement that didn’t mention any player by name.
“There are a lot of components in deals that need to be satisfied before you get to a point where you are calling players and informing them,” Eppler said. “We weren’t able to get to that point.”
A deal that would have sent Pederson, pitcher Ross Stripling and minor league outfielder Andy Pages to the Angels was stalled as the Dodgers worked on a trade with the Boston Red Sox that would send outfielder Mookie Betts and
left-hander David Price to Los Angeles. That trade was finalized Monday after medical reviews.
REPORT: MLB EYES PLAYOFF
EXPANSION >> Major League Baseball is reportedly considering an expanded playoff scenario that includes more teams, a first-round bye and the ability of some teams to pick their opponents.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post wrote Monday that MLB is “seriously weighing” the postseason overhaul, beginning in 2022.
Under this plan, the playoffs would be expanded from five to seven teams in each league. The team with the best record in each league would get a bye into the Division Series, while the two other division winners and the wild card with the best record would each host a best-of-3 series against the bottom three wild-card teams.