MLB cracked down on the Astros Monday, suspending manager A.J. Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow through the entire 2020 season for their roles in the team's sign-stealing scandal. Houston's owner, Jim Crane, furthered that punishment by announcing both Hinch and Luhnow had been fired.
And that's not all. The Astros have also lost the first- and second-round picks for the 2020 and 2021 MLB Draft, and finally were fined $5 million to conclude the harsh penalties.
But, to some, it wasn't harsh enough.
SNY's Andy Martino tweeted on Monday that some rival executives around the league believe the Astros deserved more than what they got from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Worth noting, some rival execs still don't think Astros have been punished enough today.
- Andy Martino (@martinonyc) January 13, 2020
If execs feel that way about the Astros' punishment, all eyes will definitely be on what MLB does in the case of Alex Cora.
The Red Sox manager is still under investigation at the moment for his role in helping his team use their replay review room to cheat during the 2018 season. And that is on top of him being involved in the Astros' case, which was in Manfred's report on Monday.
Martino is hearing the decision on Cora could come before the start of Spring Training, and many believe penalty could be even harsher than what Hinch and Luhnow have over their heads now. Some think banning Cora from the game itself is in the cards, but a multi-year suspension given his role with not one, but two organizations is probably a better bet.
Whether or not that would mean Boston parts ways with Cora is obviously unknown, but Crane was quick to tell the general public he was ready to move on from Hinch and Luhnow. John William Henry II and GM Dave Dombrowski may follow suit.
It's still too early to tell, but executives will hope Cora faces the punishment they believe is worthy of his actions. Because the Astros, to some, were let off a tad easy.