Legendary New York Mets reliever John Franco addresses the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal that set the baseball world on fire.
It’s been an eventful MLB offseason, and what’s engulfed the majority of it is one of the largest sports scandals in recent memory. After a bombshell report alleging that the Houston Astros stole signs in 2017 and 2018, an investigation found the ballclub guilty. The league decided to suspend then-manager A.J. Hinch and then-general manager Jeff Luhnow for one year.
Since the scandal first came to light, many players (current and former) have come together to provide takes on the situation. One of the latest to do so is former New York Mets reliever John Franco, who shows overall disappointment in Houston.
“They cheated the game, they cheated themselves and they cheated the players on the other team” – John Franco on the @astros pic.twitter.com/6ggQw1ww2q
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) February 11, 2020
“They cheated the game, they cheated themselves and they cheated the other players on the other team,” Franco told ESNY’s Mike Vivalo at the Thurman Munson Awards Dinner last week.
Prior to saying that, Franco mentioned that during his playing days, you would “always try to get a little [competitive] edge, but not to that extreme like the Astros did, that’s for sure.”
The scandal ended up having a direct effect on the Mets. Carlos Beltrán — who New York hired to be their skipper in November — was on that cheating, World Series-winning Astros squad in 2017. To make matters worse, he was said to be one of the individuals at the forefront of the wrongdoing.
Amid the scandal and criticism, Beltran decided to step down from the Mets managerial role in January.
New York has since appointed Luis Rojas to be their skipper for the upcoming campaign. Rojas previously served as the organization’s quality control coach.
