Astros hacking scandal investigation penalty - Cards lose 2 picks and $2M

[jerichoholicninja]

It's more than I thought it would be but I still don't see it as that big of a punishment. Taking away two picks that most likely amount to nothing anyways doesn't hurt them one bit.

[nate82]

It's more than I thought it would be but I still don't see it as that big of a punishment. Taking away two picks that most likely amount to nothing anyways doesn't hurt them one bit.

 

Actually it hurts a lot that $2m pool to sign draft picks leaves very little to sign a player over slot in the later rounds. Actually the Cardinals probably can not sign a player over slot without losing next year's 1st round pick.

[pacopete4]

I think it should have been the two picks this year, the $2 million, AND their first round selection next year along with not being able to sign a player that would cost them their first round selection.

 

Somehow, some way, the Cardinals will luck out of this.

[MrTPlush]

Taking away two picks that most likely amount to nothing anyways doesn't hurt them one bit.

 

They aren't the Brewers. They actually make a good selection from time to time.

[AdvantageSchneider]

This seems reasonable to me. $2M is nothing to sneeze at and the losing the picks will hurt too. That seems to be a much harder punishment than what SD got. You can split hairs as to which malfeasence was worse from a baseball perspective.

[Ennder]

I'm not a fan of this simply because it gives the Astros too much. I'm fine with a heavy penalty for the Cardinals but why should it be a big payoff for the Astros. 28 teams outside of the Cardinals were at a competitive disadvantage against them. 1 team was at a competitive advantage against the Astros and that was the Cardinals.

 

The Astros get a huge bonus this year because 1 team had an advantage over them but it seems like 28 other teams get screwed by the Astros getting extra picks. There is no reason the teams in their division should fall behind the Astros because of this event and they just did.

[brewcrewdue80]

I think it should have been the two picks this year, the $2 million, AND their first round selection next year along with not being able to sign a player that would cost them their first round selection.

 

You are on the right track to my feelings.

 

$2M is nothing to sneeze at and the losing the picks will hurt too.

 

2million seems to be about the cost anyway they would be spending on the draft picks, so it's not like that 2million hits them from out of nowhere.

 

 

I'm not a fan of this simply because it gives the Astros too much. I'm fine with a heavy penalty for the Cardinals but why should it be a big payoff for the Astros. 28 teams outside of the Cardinals were at a competitive disadvantage against them. 1 team was at a competitive advantage against the Astros and that was the Cardinals.

 

The Astros get a huge bonus this year because 1 team had an advantage over them but it seems like 28 other teams get screwed by the Astros getting extra picks. There is no reason the teams in their division should fall behind the Astros because of this event and they just did.

 

 

I can see where you are going with this. Overall, the picks the Astros they are receiving are very difficult to predict will ever reach the Majors.

 

I think this was light and as Brew4U said should have lost their 1st rd(better their 1st rd comp balance in 2018), without the ability to sign a QO player in 2018. And would have been better in your opinion, to have gone and taken away from their international bonus pool which is 5.75mil this year. Say taken 3.75mil from that pool and no signings above 300,000 like the other teams' restrictions who'd gone over their previous pools.

 

Or maybe MLB could have just suspended the Cardinals Competitive Balance bonuses the next 5years.

[reillymcshane]

I'm not a fan of this simply because it gives the Astros too much. I'm fine with a heavy penalty for the Cardinals but why should it be a big payoff for the Astros. 28 teams outside of the Cardinals were at a competitive disadvantage against them. 1 team was at a competitive advantage against the Astros and that was the Cardinals.

One thing about the draft picks is that there was some question that the commissioner could actually strip a team of draft picks. The draft is a carefully constructed system defined by the CBA. Taking away draft picks takes money out of the game. But by giving the picks to the Astros - there's no overall lose of picks.

[Point Beer Is Best]

Chris Correa has issued a statement:

 

In 2015, I admitted to unauthorized computer access and volunteered to meet with the commissioner to answer any questions and share my concerns about intellectual property theft. In May, I offered to fly to New York. In June, I suggested a meeting during his visit to Busch Stadium.

 

The commissioner was unresponsive.

 

I am unimpressed with Major League Baseball's commitment to fair and just action in this matter. The Cardinals were not the organization that benefitted from unauthorized access.

 

On December 21, 2011, a Houston Astros employee accessed propriety data on a St. Louis Cardinals server. Later I would learn - through unlawful matters - that Cardinals data were used extensively from 2012 through 2014. Houston Astros employees used the data to replicate and evaluate key algorithms and decision tools related to amateur and professional player evaluation. Many individuals throughout the Houston organization, including the General Manager and the Assistant General Manager, were included in e-mail discussions about these matters.

 

I accept responsibility for my wrongful actions and am paying my debt to society. The Cardinals organization must pay a heavy price as well.

 

But punishment does not function as a deterrent when sanctions are applied arbitrarily.

 

I will have no further comment on this matter while I am incarcerated.

 

If he's implicating the assistant GM of the Astros between 2012-2014, he's directly pointing a finger at David Stearns.

[jerichoholicninja]

And just as we all should have assumed, somehow the Brewers could end up losers in all of this.

[clancyphile]

I'm not a fan of this simply because it gives the Astros too much. I'm fine with a heavy penalty for the Cardinals but why should it be a big payoff for the Astros. 28 teams outside of the Cardinals were at a competitive disadvantage against them. 1 team was at a competitive advantage against the Astros and that was the Cardinals.

 

The Astros get a huge bonus this year because 1 team had an advantage over them but it seems like 28 other teams get screwed by the Astros getting extra picks. There is no reason the teams in their division should fall behind the Astros because of this event and they just did.

 

The Astros were directly harmed by the Cardinals' hacking, and they deserve some compensation for that.

[billymac]

MLB Trade rumors

 

According to Correa’s statement, an unidentified member of the Astros organization “accessed proprietary data on a St. Louis Cardinals server” late in 2011. Further, he charges, the Astros utilized the Cardinals’ information “to replicate and evaluate key algorithms and decision tools related to amateur and professional player evaluation.” Most seriously, perhaps, Correa alleges that Houston GM Jeff Luhnow and then-assistant GM David Stearns “were included in e-mail discussions about these efforts.”

 

Is Stearns Russian at all?

[And That]

One thing about the draft picks is that there was some question that the commissioner could actually strip a team of draft picks. The draft is a carefully constructed system defined by the CBA. Taking away draft picks takes money out of the game. But by giving the picks to the Astros - there's no overall lose of picks.

They could have eliminated the picks and redistributed the bonus pool money proportionately across the other 29 teams. Everyone gets an extra $70k. Woohoo!

[502 to Right]

MLB Trade rumors

 

According to [a convicted felon's] statement, an unidentified member of the Astros organization “accessed proprietary data on a St. Louis Cardinals server” late in 2011. Further, he charges, the Astros utilized the Cardinals’ information “to replicate and evaluate key algorithms and decision tools related to amateur and professional player evaluation.” Most seriously, perhaps, Correa alleges that Houston GM Jeff Luhnow and then-assistant GM David Stearns “were included in e-mail discussions about these efforts.”

 

I made a correction. I'm not saying a convicted felon can't tell the truth, but the source is extremely suspect.

 

Is there any independent corroboration for these allegations?

[FVBrewerFan]

Is there any independent corroboration for these allegations?

 

If there was, it's long gone. Only way you can prove that allegation is the parties named admit it, or they get the emails. And those emails are long ago deleted, of course. If Correa had copies of any of these emails, he would have produced them by now.

 

It does make you wonder how much of this stuff goes on. With all the movement by scouts, front office people, coaches, even players, how much proprietary info travels around?

[torts]

MLB Trade rumors

 

According to [a convicted felon's] statement, an unidentified member of the Astros organization “accessed proprietary data on a St. Louis Cardinals server” late in 2011. Further, he charges, the Astros utilized the Cardinals’ information “to replicate and evaluate key algorithms and decision tools related to amateur and professional player evaluation.” Most seriously, perhaps, Correa alleges that Houston GM Jeff Luhnow and then-assistant GM David Stearns “were included in e-mail discussions about these efforts.”

 

I made a correction. I'm not saying a convicted felon can't tell the truth, but the source is extremely suspect.

 

Is there any independent corroboration for these allegations?

 

he's basing it off the alternative facts that he has

[CheezWizHed]

If DS has the Cardinal's proprietary rating system, we might finally get some good draft picks! Er.. I mean bad DS, bad.

[dacbrewers]

Does anyone esle find it interesting that the Cards would be hacking the Astros and not the other way around?

[pacopete4]

Does anyone esle find it interesting that the Cards would be hacking the Astros and not the other way around?

 

No. Cheaters are usually the ones winning or at least doing everything they can to. See the Patriots for a great example of this.

[dacbrewers]

The cards were winning long before the hacking started...just makes me wonder...