MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the media on Sunday and touched on several topics including the buzzers allegedly used by the Houston Astros to steal signs, the investigation of the 2018 Boston Red Sox among other things.
Here’s what we learned from Manfred’s press conference:
Houston Astros Buzzer Use In 2019 World Series
Manfred said it remains unclear if the Astros used buzzers in order to gain an advantage in 2019, especially during the World Series.
The commissioner also said that he doesn’t know why the players, who were granted immunity, would lie about the buzzers in 2019 when they were already honest about what happened in 2017 and 2018. Manfred also said that MLB was aware of potential buzzer use even before the investigation.
“Can I tell you 100 percent certain that (buzzers) didn’t happen? No. You can never know that,” Manfred said to ESPN. “The piece that no one appreciates is that we found no evidence — not a single witness — who could corroborate that there were buzzers being used during the 2019 season or that they were doing anything during the 2019 season.”
More Astros
Manfred said that there will be warnings given starting in Spring Training to avoid retaliation from other teams, or pitchers throwing at Houston Astros hitters. The commissioner added that he thinks the recent discourse around MLB that has gone on is unhealthy.
“I’m sort of a civil discourse person. It must be because I’m old,’ Manfred said. “But, yeah, I think that the back and forth that’s gone on is not healthy.”
Manfred also said that he thought about stripping the Astros of their World Series title but ultimately decided against it. He added that he disagrees with the notion that the Astros got off easy, saying that it’s something they will have to deal with the rest of their lives.
Additionally, Manfred was agitated talking about the beginning of the whole debacle:
The irony in this was that during this very same presser, Manfred essentially confirmed the belief that REPORTING from Ken and Evan — along with the honesty of Mike Fiers — is the only reason baseball now has a true chance to be clean of cheating. https://t.co/YMUQ2axAM9
— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) February 16, 2020
Boston Red Sox
By the end of the following week, there should be a resolution on the Boston Red Sox, with the investigation on the team coming to a close.
“There have been a couple developments in the Boston thing that slowed us down, people who had to be reinterviewed as a result of things,” Manfred said.
The Red Sox dismissed manager Alex Cora last month after his name surfaced as a key component to the Astros cheating during the 2017 World Series.
Other Tidbits
- Manfred said MLB will have “really serious restrictions on player personnel access to video in-game” in 2020, after the Astros debacle came to light.
- MLB playoff expansion has been discussed but no final verdict has been made.
- Other teams could still be investigated by MLB.
