Houston Astros Players Getting Off Easy Is Black Eye For MLB

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Major League Baseball is a complete mess right now. The league is permanently scarred by the Houston Astros’ massive cheating scandal that helped them secure a 2017 World Series title.

This title will not be taken away because of the plan by commissioner Rob Manfred who offered immunity to any player who is willing to discuss what happened, but with this strategy, it means that the players like Jose Altuve or Carlos Correa will get off easy. Their contracts remain in place, there is no suspension that will hit their wallet, and most importantly, they get to keep the World Series title.

Manfred sat down with ESPN for a lengthy interview. He said that the Astros learned their lesson from cheating.

Vigilante Justice By Players?

There are many players who want to provide vigilante justice against the Astros since Major League Baseball won’t and that includes throwing at the batter when they get a chance.

There is already an over/under line set at 83.5 hit batters toward Houston this year.  That number has been reached nine times over the past five seasons, and the most ever was in 2008 when the Cleveland Indians were hit 103 times.

KSL Sports’ Alex Kirry said having no punishment is ludicrous and it is basically Wild West justice with players openly saying they will throw the ball at the players who cheated.

“These guys who tarnished the game of baseball beyond recognition and beyond repair in my mind will not receive even a game suspension,” Kirry said. “It has gotten so bad, players are coming out and saying, ‘we will throw the baseball 90 miles per hour right at these guys who participated and will bean these guys.”

There are players like pitcher Nick Markakis of the Atlanta Braves who feel that “every single guy over there needs a beating.”

Braves outfielder Nick Markakis goes off on Houston Astros..

"Everything has been handled a bad way.. the players are scot free.. Every single guy over there needs a beating..

Full comments ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/nAXGjleFUx

— Zach Klein (@ZachKleinWSB) February 18, 2020

Mike Trout, who is one of the best in the game, is not happy with the lack of punishment.

“They cheated. I don’t agree with the punishments, the players not getting anything. It was a player-driven thing,” Trout said. “It sucks, too, because guys’ careers have been affected, a lot of people lost jobs. It was tough. Me going up to the plate knowing what was coming — it would be pretty fun up there.”

Mike Trout shares his thoughts on the Astros’ sign stealing scandal, and isn’t happy with the punishment pic.twitter.com/LPU9iX0soo

— Baseball Quotes (@BaseballQuotes1) February 17, 2020

KSL Unrivaled Has Punishment Ideas

KSL Sports’ Kirry and Scott Mitchell provided some unique punishments toward the Astros players who did not get punished at all. The duo gets creative with their punishments which include being embarrassed, tipping pitches to opposing players and using trash cans against the Astros.

“This is one that would have the biggest impact. At all of the Astros home games, when they are in the field, [pitcher Justin] Verlander is on the mound, the batter is told before the ball is pitched that this is an ‘off-speed or this is a fastball,'” Mitchell said. “If he crosses him up on the signs, it is an automatic home run, so if it is a curveball and pitcher throws a fastball, it’s a home run.”

.@19scottmitchell has a creative way to punish the @astros for those who cheated. pic.twitter.com/Zp9ZNMkkZC

— KSL Unrivaled (@KSLunrivaled) February 19, 2020

Other ideas the duo brought up are more light-hearted with public shaming of these cheaters.

“On the packaging of Big League Chew, you put a pitcher of Jose Altuve that says, ‘I am a cheater,'” Kirry said. “Or when you walk into the Astros stadium it straight up says, ‘we cheated in 2017, we are terrible people, we feel bad for what we did but we were not suspended.’ For one year the Astros should change their name to ‘The Cheaters.'”

Here are some punishment Twitter users came up with when asked which include giving these Astros players the Pete Rose treatment.

Players whom reported to have cheated should be suspended from the MLB until Pete Rose gets in the HOF.

— jacob mcintosh (@foreverfluffy1) February 19, 2020

Ceasing operations of the team, erasing it's entire history, then giving Montreal back the Expos.

— Nick Gazerro (AUBURN MBB 🏀 22-3) ⚾ 4-0 (@newengland_AU) February 19, 2020

Or maybe some public humiliation.

pic.twitter.com/VYcLbCkfHP

— Sloop Josh B (@shut_up_joshua) February 19, 2020

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