New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman trolls the Houston Astros amidst the sign-stealing scandal.
This week, much occurred in the MLB without one game having been played. The Houston Astros, who took part in illegal sign stealing in both 2017 and 2018, learned their punishment. Commissioner Rob Manfred decided to suspend manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one year. Houston owner Jim Crane fired either staff member shortly thereafter.
The organization that may be the happiest about the sanctions (which also includes the stripping of four draft picks and a $5 million fine) is the New York Yankees. The Bombers are who Houston defeated in the 2017 American League Championship Series en route to a World Series title.
Over the last few days, numerous Yankees have shown their happiness over the news. This includes Aroldis Chapman, who executed a clever troll job via Twitter.
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— Aroldis Chapman (@AChapman_105) January 17, 2020
The scandal hasn’t just affected the Astros, but multiple other teams and individuals as well.
Alex Cora, who was the bench coach for Houston in 2017, was forced out of his managerial role with the Red Sox. The same goes for Carlos Beltran, who stepped down as the New York Mets manager just 2.5 months after receiving the job. Beltran played for the Astros during the World Series-winning campaign in what was his final year on the field.
Thus, all three teams will have to undergo managerial searches. It’s unclear when each ballclub will make a decision on who will lead their respective staffs. Nonetheless, it needs to be done in a timely manner. The league’s spring training schedule starts in a little over a month.
