Ag_07 said:

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iBrad said:

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If we don't make a deal this offseason, I think one at the break is highly likely

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Exactly. Which is why I think now is the time while we don't seem so desperate and we can have our new piece all year long.

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No, this is about the Cardinals and Chris Correa. Or rather, how an organization skated by scott-free by having their fall-man dive on his sword.

First off, the Cardinals punishment was low shockingly low and sets a dangerous precedent for the future of the league.

This was no small-scale hacking; Chris Correa reportedly hacked into the Astros' 'Ground Control' (a database for player evaluation) 48 times, and accessed the accounts of five Astros employees.

Not to mention there was something personal to this Correa used to work with Sig Mejdal and Jeff Luhnow in St. Louis, where relationships reportedly weren't great. Jealousy reached a boiling point when Sports Illustrated praised and pronounced the Astros as "your 2017 World Series champs". The Astros and Cardinals obviously took similar analytical approaches, and Correa was not happy that the Astros were being publicly lauded despite winning nothing at that that time. But motivation is besides the point.

The point is that a team can do something extremely illegal that gives them a huge edge much bigger than the impact of deflated footballs and get a slap on the wrist for it. The Cardinals had access to the Astros' trade discussions, player evaluations, draft preferential, etc. This is HUGE information for any team to have access to, especially when the other team is a division rival.

Now if you're sitting in a front office around the MLB you're thinking "wow, I can have access to any teams information and if I get caught my only punishment is the loss of two low-probability picks and a little bit of money. Sign me up!"

How the MLB bought that Correa acted alone is beyond me. Logistically, how is this even possible? Did Correa just keep the knowledge to himself? Did he drop vague-innuendos in Front Office meetings?

Not to mention that Correa literally admits to sharing this information with his colleagues. Attached is his statements in his hearing, in-case Bud Selig forgot how to read.

How did Correa's buddies in the Front-Office react to his insights? Well, for one he got a promotion in 2014.

The MLB stretched this investigation out as long as possible to hide it. They were able to sign Dexter Fowler as a free agent back in December, knowing that they would lose their first round pick if they signed him. Many could speculate that the Cardinals more aggressively pursued free agents with qualifying offers attached because of the fact that they knew they were likely going to lose their first round pick anyway.

And, of course, the punishment comes the year after the Cardinals have three first round draft picks. The Cardinals are one of the league's most respected franchises, and baseball has an image to uphold. Thus their willingness to buy that Correa acted alone.

It's both one of the biggest cheating scandals in sports history and one of the most underreported stories in sports history. It is nearly impossible that Correa truly acted alone, yet the Cardinals will walk away relatively unscathed from this whole mess.

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"On July 21, 2016, Mr. Correa was informed directly that he would be placed on the permanently ineligible list if he did not cooperate with the Department of Investigations. Mr. Correa not only steadfastly refused to answer any questions, but also opposed the release of any documents by the government to the Office of the Commissioner. On August 23, 2016, Mr. Correa's attorney told the Department of Investigations that Mr. Correa was not interested 'in providing any information directly or indirectly to MLB.' The Department of Investigations was not provided evidence to substantiate the other allegations contained in Mr. Correa's letter, but remains willing to meet with Mr. Correa at any time."

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Mr.Bond said:

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Surely he will get a spring training invite somewhere. That's well above average production

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Mr.Ackar07 said:

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So I just had the chance to meet Julia Morales. I wasn't really supposed to be there to meet her, so my friend that hooked me up with the chance said no to my inquiry of taking a picture.

That's one thing off my bucket list for 2017.

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titanmaster_race said:

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Mr.Ackar07 said:

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So I just had the chance to meet Julia Morales. I wasn't really supposed to be there to meet her, so my friend that hooked me up with the chance said no to my inquiry of taking a picture.

That's one thing off my bucket list for 2017.

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What's the verdict? hotter in person or nah?

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NotGibbs said:

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I'm guessing we'll see similar gorilla ball power numbers, but with a significantly higher contact rate. (Hopefully) we don't have many all or nothing guys in this lineup, besides Gattis, now that we no longer have guys like Rasmus, Valbuena, Carter, etc.

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jbanda said:

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https://instagr.am/p/BP_UEufBy95

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The #Astros have signed RHP Dayan Diaz to a minor league contract with an invitation to Major League Spring Training.

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Nuke LaLoosh said:

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From a pure fundamentals standpoint, I hate when pitchers raise their arms over their heads and therefore lose eye contact with the catchers mitt... it's wasted motion as well.)

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Source: The Astros avoided arbitration with relief pitcher Will Harris and agreed to a two-year, $5 million deal. Club option for 2019.

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Mr.Bond said:

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Nuke LaLoosh said:

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From a pure fundamentals standpoint, I hate when pitchers raise their arms over their heads and therefore lose eye contact with the catchers mitt... it's wasted motion as well.)

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Aka the GOAT Nolan Ryan

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titanmaster_race said:

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I didn't know we had so many MLB level scouts on this board

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