Yankees undermined by two former players in Astros sign-stealing scandal

What began in Houston carried over to Boston

While the owner of the Astros, Jim Crane, was exonerated by MLB, manager A.J. Hinch and General Manager Jeff Luhnow were severely disciplined. Both drew one-year suspensions without pay. The club was fined $5 million (the highest allowable fine under the Major League Constitution) and lost its first and second-round draft picks in the 2020 and 2021 First-Year Player Drafts.

Former Assistant GM Brandon Taubman was also suspended for inappropriate conduct in the clubhouse for one year.

Hinch expressed sincere regret. Although he once tried to stop the illegal activity by breaking the screen of a monitor, electronic sign-stealing continued on without any further intervention on his part.

The ballplayers involved said that they would have ceased the sign-stealing operation had Hinch instructed them to do so. Luhnow, in contrast, claimed his innocence and said that others within the club were to blame.

As we know from media reports, Alex Cora, the Astros’ Bench Coach in 2017, was found to have played a significant role in the sign-stealing ploy. As a result, the Boston Red Sox and manager Cora “parted ways” on Tuesday.