After MLB commissioner Rob Manfred handed out his historic punishments to the Houston Astros for his determination on Monday that they had stolen signs using a camera-based system, players both active and retired from other teams chimed in with their thoughts about the suspensions and about cheating.
The punishments handed down -- a $5 million fine, lost draft picks and 2020 suspensions for both general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager AJ Hinch, among other penalties -- triggered harsh consequences. Both Luhnow and Hinch were fired by team owner Jim Crane as a consequence of MLB's announcement.
Indians pitcher Mike Clevinger was particularly pointed in his reaction, pointing out what was at stake in particular:
https://t.co/U7bn8eqE83 pic.twitter.com/Fy95ffO152
โ โ Mike ๐๐โ๐โ๐โ๐ผ Clevinger โ (@Mike_Anthony13) January 13, 2020
If the Dodgers are planning a 2017 World Series parade, I would love to join! So if that is in the works, can someone make a Yu Garbage Jersey for me?
โ ใใซใใใทใฅๆ(Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) January 14, 2020
Baseball had no choice. With legal betting becoming more widespread that penalties had to be harsh and had to send the message that cheating will not be tolerated. Teams will act swiftly to separate themselves from anything inappropriate. MLB is watching their chicken ya dig!
โ Preston Wilson (@PrestonWilson44) January 13, 2020
So let me get this right. You steal signs and get fired, but you do steroids and get millions of dollars in contracts and inducted into the Hall of Fame? #makesnosense
โ Roy Oswalt (@royoswalt44net) January 13, 2020
I tried this in grade school, didn't work then either. Players, with the exception of Beltrรกn, getting a major pass here.
โ CJ Nitkowski (@CJNitkowski) January 13, 2020
"I would have stopped if you told me to even though I knew it was wrong in multiple ways."....What? That's burying your manager. pic.twitter.com/pkvet4lzl8
I'm all for stealing signs... I use to love watching coaches trying to pick up patterns from opposing coaches...zooming in on catchers fingers w a camera ๐๐ป get a guy on second and do it the old fashion way!
โ Jered Weaver (@Weave1036) January 13, 2020
https://t.co/HnVapJpxZw pic.twitter.com/AmKCXx4Fpx
โ Noah Syndergaard (@Noahsyndergaard) January 13, 2020
Didn't really expect the punishments to be this harsh. Good for MLB stepping up. Still don't know what's more frustrating tho, an ex teammate of the WS title team talking publicly about his team cheating or so many guys being down to use a damn trash can lol. Should take the ring
โ David Freese (@david23freese) January 13, 2020
The craziest part of this whole #Astros cheating saga is that they BANGED A TRASHCAN as their delivery system. No wonder Mike F came out and said something. Think about how miserable it would have been to sit and hear that every game in the dugout....
โ Trevor Plouffe (@trevorplouffe) January 13, 2020
I'd like my career numbers against Altuve, Springer, and Correa erased from the record books. Seriously though, it's bad. Can they do that?
โ Phil Hughes (@PJHughes45) January 13, 2020
Perhaps predictably, Trevor Bauer wasn't shy about sharing his opinion, tweeting a reference to the popular Kermit the Frog sipping tea meme attached to Hinch's past comments about cheating accusations:
๐ฅ๐ธ pic.twitter.com/vP5A0s59uT
โ Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) January 13, 2020
https://t.co/ACL3y5UT48 pic.twitter.com/lvq3OTnEPQ
โ โ Mike ๐๐โ๐โ๐โ๐ผ Clevinger โ (@Mike_Anthony13) January 13, 2020
#TakeItBack โค๏ธ https://t.co/1lMVRBv0ek
โ Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) January 14, 2020