Cora insists Astros’ sign-stealing scheme wasn’t a ‘2-man show’

Former Boston Red Sox manager and Houston Astros coach Alex Cora objects to the narrative that he and Carlos Beltran were mainly responsible for leading Houston’s illegal sign-stealing scheme in 2017.

Cora was suspended for one year after a Major League Baseball investigation determined that he played a central role in the Astros’ illegal sign-stealing scheme during their World Series-winning campaign.

“Out of this whole process, if there is one thing that I completely reject and disagree with, (it’s) people within the Astros organization singling me out, particularly (ex-general manager) Jeff Luhnow, as if I were the sole mastermind,” Cora recently told ESPN’s Marly Rivera. “The commissioner’s report sort of explained, in its own way, what happened. But the guys (Astros players) have spoken up and refuted any allegations that I was solely responsible.”

Cora added: “If there is one thing I am absolutely sure of, it is that it was not a two-man show. We all did it. And let me be very clear that I am not denying my responsibility, because we were all responsible.”

The Red Sox were investigated for using similar illegal sign-stealing tactics in 2018, the year that Cora managed them to a World Series title.

Red Sox video room operator J.T Watkins was suspended and Boston forfeited its second-round selection in the 2020 draft. Cora was not punished, as the investigation determined the Red Sox video room was used without the manager’s knowledge.

Cora is eligible to manage again in 2021, but the 44-year-old said returning to baseball isn’t on his mind at the moment.

“Right now, all I care about is my personal life and my family. This has not been an easy time for us, and it’s my fault,” he said. “Do I want to return the game? Absolutely. That’s why I worked so hard for so many years before being named Red Sox manager. But right now, all of that is secondary. My focus is on much more important things.”

Jason Giambi: Astros’ cheating ‘no different’ than PED scandals

Former American League MVP Jason Giambi knows a thing or two about baseball scandals.

Giambi, who starred with the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees, also became one of the poster children for the sport’s so-called “steroid era” during his career. In 2007, he admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs following several years of rumors.

When looking at the Houston Astros‘ cheating scandal – the team was punished this past offseason for illegally stealing signs during the 2017 campaign – Giambi sees a similar situation.

“Everybody’s always looking for an advantage. There’s no doubt about it, (it’s) no different than … the PED age,” the 49-year-old said in an interview with SNY’s “Baseball Night in New York.” “Things are always gonna come to light, you know, just how they came to light. … And there’s always gonna be things going on in this game when you’re talking about people making a lot of money and wanting to win.”

Although Giambi’s personal image took a hit during the now-infamous BALCO scandal of the early 2000s, his mid-career apology for using steroids helped revitalize his image. He ended up playing 20 seasons in the majors and retired with 440 career home runs.

These days, Giambi knows he wouldn’t have gotten that far without owning up to his PED use.

“I sleep at night great,” Giambi said of his apology. “I don’t have to worry about it. I don’t know how many parents I run into who say, ‘Hey, thank you so much for coming forward where I could tell my children if they make a mistake, tell the truth.’ And I think that’s the biggest thing that came out of that, and I think that’s what helped me be embraced for that second time around.”

Watkins told MLB he prevented Red Sox players from cheating

The Boston Red Sox saw only one employee – video replay system operator J.T. Watkins – suspended Wednesday after Major League Baseball published its findings on sign-stealing allegations against the team.

While his job involved communicating with players, Watkins did provide evidence that he prevented players from peeking at his monitor to see the illegal information on numerous occasions, according to Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Watkins was suspended for the duration of the 2020 season and, while he remains a Red Sox employee, will also be unable to return to his role in the video room until at least 2022.

“In my view, Watkins was placed in a very difficult position by virtue of his dual role as the person responsible for decoding signs pregame and as the person responsible for operating the Red Sox replay system,” Manfred said in the 15-page report.

Former Red Sox manager Alex Cora was also suspended for the 2020 campaign, but his punishment was due to his role in the Houston Astros‘ sign-stealing scheme in 2017 while serving as bench coach. That nine-page report resulted in bans for former Astros manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow.

MLB names Red Sox replay operator chief culprit, bans Cora for Astros role

Major League Baseball has identified Boston Red Sox video replay operator J.T. Watkins as the primary culprit following its investigation into sign-stealing allegations against the 2018 team, according to a statement from commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday.

The league is suspending Watkins for the 2020 season and playoffs for utilizing “the game feeds in the replay room, in violation of MLB regulations, to revise sign sequence information that he had permissibly provided to players prior to the game.” Watkins will also be unable to resume his role as replay room operator during the 2021 season and playoffs.

Former Red Sox manager Alex Cora will be banned through 2020, but only for conduct during his tenure with the Houston Astros in 2017.

MLB chose not to suspend Cora for Watkins’ transgressions because the league found no evidence that he was aware of them. However, Manfred noted that Cora was negligent and “did not effectively communicate to Red Sox players the sign-stealing rules that were in place for the 2018 season.”

While the Red Sox were found in violation of the rules, Manfred’s statement did note that Boston’s use of sign-stealing “was far more limited in scope and impact (than Houston’s),” due to the fact that “the information was only relevant when the Red Sox had a runner on second base,” which was 19.7% of plate appearances in 2018.

Watkins has denied any illicit behavior and claims he used old information when communicating signs to players, notes The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich.

Cora and the Red Sox agreed to sever ties in January after MLB revealed his involvement in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal. He’s eligible to return to MLB in 2021.

Similar to sanctions against the Astros, no Red Sox players will be reprimanded for any involvement in the scheme. According to Manfred’s report, players were unaware that decoding opposing teams’ signs using in-game footage had been prohibited in 2018.

The league did not find that the illegal conduct continued during the postseason en route to Boston’s World Series win or at any point in the 2019 campaign.

Red Sox president Sam Kennedy issued a statement Wednesday afternoon regarding the league’s findings:

“As an organization, we strive for 100% compliance with the rules. MLB’s investigation concluded that in isolated instances during the 2018 regular season, sign sequences were decoded through the use of live game video rather than through permissible means.

“MLB acknowledged the front office’s extensive efforts to communicate and enforce the rules and concluded that Alex Cora, the coaching staff, and most of the players did not engage in, nor were they aware of, any violations. Regardless, these rule violations are unacceptable. We apologize to our fans and Major League Baseball, and accept the commissioner’s ruling.”

Ron Roenicke was originally named interim manager after Cora’s departure from the Red Sox. However, Roenicke’s interim tag has now been removed, according to Buster Olney of ESPN. Roenicke’s current contract expires following the 2020 season, sources told Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

Henry, Werner apologize to MLB owners for Red Sox sign-stealing

Boston Red Sox owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner apologized to the owners of MLB’s 29 other teams during a Wednesday conference call after the league’s investigation concluded the club illegally stole signs during the 2018 regular season.

Henry and Werner “took full responsibility” for the incident during the call, Red Sox president Sam Kennedy told reporters, including Christopher Smith of MassLive.com.

MLB handed the Red Sox a punishment that includes the loss of a 2020 second-round draft pick and a one-year ban for video replay operator J.T. Watkins, whom the league identified as the chief culprit in Boston’s sign-stealing. Watkins cannot hold the same role in 2021.

Former Red Sox manager Alex Cora has also been banned through the 2020 campaign, but only for his role in the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scheme in 2017.

“I believe MLB went above and beyond in order to ascertain facts that led to their conclusion and I support the findings,” Henry wrote in an email to Alex Speier of The Boston Globe.

Henry and Werner specifically apologized to the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, Speier notes, after members of those organizations faced questions during spring training about the legitimacy of Boston’s 2018 World Series win.

Such questions, Henry wrote in his email, “created a terrible environment (for those teams) for a prolonged period (at the start of 2020).”

Henry also believes MLB’s report should leave little doubt that the team did not cheat during the 2018 playoffs after the league found no evidence of postseason wrongdoing.

“What I regret most about all of this, beyond the toll it took on our organization, is the position it put our fans in – having for months to wonder if the 2018 championship could actually be the result of unfair play,” the 70-year-old said. “It’s clear from the report that these isolated occurrences in 2018 happened during the regular season.

“The report references how often those instances called into question had an opportunity to take place and within the context of the overall season, all one has to do is the math to see the net potential result. But I’ll let others do the math.”

Henry didn’t address whether the Red Sox would be interested in re-hiring Cora, but chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom reiterated Wednesday that the team parted ways with the skipper because of his role with the Astros.

D-Backs explored Vancouver as possible contingency home

Arizona Diamondbacks special adviser Joe Garagiola Jr. confirmed that the team sent representatives to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2018 to evaluate whether BC Place Stadium could host MLB games, according to Sean Fitz-Gerald of The Athletic.

Garagiola was employed by the league at the time. Team officials visited the Canadian city to determine whether the venue could serve as a temporary home amid concerns over “the state of repairs” at Chase Field, the D-Backs’ ballpark in Phoenix, Fitz-Gerald added.

“While working at Major League Baseball, I provided the team with numerous possibilities, including Vancouver,” Garagiola said. “Club executives visited there to determine the reality of making it a contingency plan.”

MLB provided Arizona with a list of six potential temporary locations for the team in case of a structural emergency at Chase Field, according to Fitz-Gerald.

D-Backs officials took a tour of BC Place and looked at photographs of baseball games that took place at the stadium, a government official told Fitz-Gerald. The Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Colorado Rockies, and Montreal Expos (now Washington Nationals) took part in an exhibition series there in 1994.

The D-Backs filed a 2017 lawsuit against Maricopa County, which owns Chase Field, to pay for ballpark upgrades. The two sides settled in 2018, giving the team the option to leave the stadium as early as 2022 but making the club responsible for managing and maintaining the venue.

The team also reportedly held talks with Henderson, Nevada, in 2018 that caused relocation rumors to swirl. However, the Diamondbacks apparently never reached out to the league to discuss moving to another city.

Astros used ‘Codebreaker’ system to decode signs

The Houston Astros‘ illegal sign-stealing techniques began with an electronic system named “Codebreaker,” according to a letter from commissioner Rob Manfred sent to then-Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow in January that Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal obtained.

An intern’s PowerPoint presentation first introduced “Codebreaker” to Luhnow, and it was operated through the use of Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, Diamond reports.

The Astros had someone watching a live feed during the game, and they would log the catcher’s signs and the pitch that was thrown into Excel. The system then decoded that information to determine what signs corresponded with what pitch. The information would then be passed on to Astros baserunners, who would relay the signals to hitters, according to Diamond.

At least one member of the organization referred to “Codebreaker” as “dark arts.” Tom Koch-Weser, the Astros’ director of advance information, referenced both “the system” and “our dark arts, sign-stealing department” in two emails sent to Luhnow during the 2017 season. Koch-Weser also said that he and Luhnow discussed the system during the 2016-17 offseason.

Koch-Weser told investigators Luhnow would also enter the team’s video room during road games, Diamond reports, and casually ask, “You guys Codebreaking?”

Astros players took the system to the next level in June 2017, using a video monitor and banging on a trash can to relay signals. The Astros won the World Series that season.

While Diamond reports the trash-can banging stopped after 2017, Houston continued using “Codebreaker” to steal signs in 2018. The Astros used the system during both home and road games.

The Astros fired Luhnow hours after MLB suspended him one year for his role in the sign-stealing scheme. He denied being involved, saying in a statement last month he’s “not a cheater” and was unaware of what his players and coaches were doing. Luhnow told investigators he saw Koch-Weser’s emails discussing the system but didn’t read all the way to the end, according to Diamond.

However, Manfred wrote in his letter that there’s enough evidence to show Luhnow knew about the team’s conduct.

The former GM also denied Koch-Weser’s account of what happened, according to Diamond. Luhnow didn’t respond to the Journal for comment on Friday.

Then-Astros manager AJ Hinch was also suspended for one year and, like Luhnow, summarily fired following the release of the investigation’s findings. Hinch apologized for his role in the scandal earlier this week.

Alex Cora, who was Hinch’s bench coach in 2017, and Carlos Beltran, a player on that club, also lost their managing jobs with the Boston Red Sox and New York Mets, respectively, in the fallout.

A separate investigation into whether Cora’s Red Sox illegally stole signs in 2018 is ongoing, and it could conclude next week.

Hank Aaron: Astros cheaters should be banned for life

Hammerin’ Hank is breaking out his gavel.

“I think whoever did that should be out of baseball for the rest of their life,” Hank Aaron told Today Show anchor Craig Melvin when asked about the Houston Astros‘ illegal sign-stealing.

The Hall of Famer and former home run champion, who celebrated his 86th birthday Wednesday, said he was surprised to learn of the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme. Aaron added that players stole signs during his career, but “not that way.”

Major League Baseball handed down one-year bans to Astros manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow in mid-January while implicating both Alex Cora and Carlos Beltran for their roles. All four are no longer in their roles with the Astros, Boston Red Sox, and New York Mets, respectively. There is an ongoing investigation into the Red Sox.

The Astros were also stripped of their first- and second-round picks in the next two drafts and handed a $5-million fine – the maximum allowed under MLB’s constitution.

While Aaron’s domain over the all-time home run crown expired in 2007 when Barry Bonds broke the record, the Milwaukee and Atlanta Braves great is still the all-time leader in RBIs (2,297) and total bases (6,856). Over 23 seasons from 1954 to 1976, the 1957 National League MVP, two-time batting champ, and 25-time All-Star hit .305/.374/.555 with 755 homers and 240 stolen bases.

J.D. Martinez: Investigation will show 2018 Red Sox did nothing wrong

J.D. Martinez doesn’t want the Boston Red Sox lumped into the same category as the Houston Astros.

The 2018 World Series champion Red Sox are currently under investigation for sign-stealing after the 2017 champion Astros were recently punished for their part in the MLB cheating scandal.

Martinez, a key piece of the 2018 Red Sox, is adamant that the accusations against the team are baseless.

“It sucks,” Martinez said, according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “I’m just excited for the investigation to be over … just so they can see that there was nothing going on here.”

When asked if MLB would find the Red Sox did nothing wrong, Martinez replied, “I believe that. Yes.”

The league found the Astros used video technology to illegally steal signs during the 2017 season en route to winning the World Series title.

Former Astros bench coach Alex Cora, who was hired as Boston’s manager the following year, is said to have been the mastermind behind Houston’s scheme. The Red Sox then won the World Series under Cora’s guidance in 2018, but the team and manager parted ways in recent days as the investigation continued.

Oakland Athletics right-hander Mike Fiers, one of the chief whistle-blowers who brought Houston’s scheme to light, remains friends with Martinez from their days as college teammates.

“I wish him the best with everything,” Martinez said of Fiers. “I talked about it with him. He obviously felt like he needed to (reveal the Astros’ scheme) and I understand it.”

Martinez is not the only member of the Red Sox to address the sign-stealing controversy. Star shortstop Xander Bogaerts recently said the scandal does not taint Boston’s championship.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora to be disciplined in sign-stealing scandal

Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora will be disciplined for his involvement in sign-stealing scandals that occurred in 2017 and 2018, according to reports from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich and ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

Major League Baseball handed down significant penalties to the Houston Astros on Monday for illegal sign-stealing in 2017. The league will now turn its attention to Cora, whose discipline is set to be determined once MLB completes its investigation of the Red Sox for separate sign-stealing allegations from 2018, Rosenthal and Drellich add.

Cora’s discipline is expected to be harsh, according to Passan’s sources.

The league is hoping to wrap up its investigation of Cora and the 2018 Red Sox before spring training, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told SNY’s Andy Martino.

Cora was Houston’s bench coach in 2017 and was apparently the mastermind behind the team’s sign-stealing scheme, according to Rosenthal and Drellich.

“Cora was involved in developing both the banging scheme and utilizing the replay review room to decode and transmit signs,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement Monday. “Cora participated in both schemes, and through his active participation, implicitly condoned the players’ conduct. I will withhold determining the appropriate level of discipline for Cora until after the DOI completes its investigation of the allegations that the Red Sox engaged in impermissible electronic sign-stealing in 2018 while Cora was the manager.”

After the Astros won the World Series in 2017, Cora was hired to manage the Red Sox before the 2018 campaign. Boston went on to win the World Series that year.

Astros owner Jim Crane fired manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow on Monday, shortly after MLB suspended both for one year. A source told Martino that it’s too soon to know if Cora will meet a similar fate in Boston.