Major League Baseball sent massive shockwaves felt by all teams, after announcing the punishments for the Houston Astros, after being caught for illegally stealing signs during the 2017 season. Fox News reports that Houston is under investigation for using cameras to steal signs during their historic World Series championship season in 2017. The team will now pay a heavy price for their actions.

Commissioner Manfred's punishment for Houston will include one-year suspensions for Astros GM Jeff Luhnow and Manager A.J. Hinch, the loss of a first and second-round draft pick for the 2020 and 2021 drafts, and a massive $5 million fine.

The Houston Astros got caught stealing signs during their 2017 season. The team rerouted footage from their stadium's center field camera to a screen in the tunnel leading to the clubhouse. The team would then monitor the footage and decode the signs and send messages back to the hitters, by banging on trash cans.

Sign stealing has fallen into a gray-area in regards to official rules

Sign stealing has been an accepted practice in the league, when players do it themselves. The league considers sign-stealing illegal when technology is in use. Teams have turned to technology, entering into a grey-area of the rules to get ahead of the competition.

Sign-stealing has been an issue for several teams including the Boston Red Sox.

Arizona Sports Net reports that the Boston Red Sox are currently being investigated for cheating in the 2018 season. The New York Yankees are also being investigated for sign-stealing. The league said that they believe Alex Cora is the mastermind behind the sign-stealing in Houston. Cora was the Astros bench coach but later hired by the Boston Red Sox as their manager.

His punishment will be determined when the league completes their investigation into the Red Sox.

MLB tries to stay on top of sign stealing

Major League Baseball continues to fight to keep up with the issue of sign stealing. In response to concerns, during the 2018 postseason, the league placed an MLB rep in the video replay area, to make sure the screens are not being used illegally.

Teams are finding new ways to capture signs from opposing teams. The league appears to be struggling to stay one step ahead.

Rob Manfred's punishment will also apply to former Houston Astros Assistant General Manager Brandon Taubman. Taubman was fired during the playoffs, after shouting at female reporters. Taubman is receiving a season-long suspension and will now be forced to apply for reinstatement with Major League Baseball. With Houston facing this massive punishment, it will take time to see whether other teams take this serious and stop with the illegal sign-stealing.
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