Mark Madden: MLB's punishment still not enough for Astros sign-stealing scandal

The Houston Astros were heavily punished for using technology to steal signs during their march to a World Series win in 2017.

Their GM and manager were suspended for a year, then fired. They lost first- and second-round draft picks this year and in 2021. The club was fined $5 million.

Of course, “heavily punished” is relative.

The discipline handed down by MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is heavy compared to what happened to the New England Patriots after the original “Spygate” scandal in 2007. The Patriots lost a first-round pick, but coach Bill Belichick didn’t miss a single day of work. That was a slap on the wrist. The Patriots kept cheating.

But the Astros punishment lacks, because it does zero to hinder their competitiveness right now. They are coming off an American League pennant and have a loaded roster. Whoever manages them won’t need to be a genius.

It’s easy to imagine the Astros winning the AL West and getting back to the World Series. Business as usual. Their path needs to be more difficult.

The Astros should start the season at minus-10.

Ten wins get subtracted from the Astros win total. If they win 92, their record stands at 82-80. The first 10 times they win games, it counts as a loss. (It’s also a loss for whoever the Astros beat. That means MLB’s win and loss columns won’t balance. That’s extraordinary, but this is an extraordinary circumstance.)

That’s severe, but institutional cheating is a severe transgression.

All the other punishment is abstract. Somebody else will be GM and coach, and might do just as well as Jeff Luhnow and A.J. Hinch. Who knows how those draft picks will turn out? Five million dollars is a drop in the bucket to Astros owner Jim Crane.

But starting the season at minus-10 has the potential to ruin the Astros’ season. They would have to win 100 games to even have a shot at the postseason. (They won 107 last year.) Minus-10 doesn’t make the situation hopeless, but it provides quite the uphill climb. If minus-10 makes the Astros miss the playoffs, it’s what they deserve.

It’s tangible discipline. What’s been levied isn’t tangible enough.

It’s also punishment for the players. They have received none to date, mostly because it would mean a battle with the MLB Players Association. Luhnow says the sign-stealing scheme “was driven and executed by the players.” They certainly participated.

The current sanctions do not affect the players one bit. They get paid the same, and get a clean slate moving forward. That’s not right.

This would put the players in a difficult situation. They deserve that.

It would also put Astros fans behind the eight-ball emotionally. Too bad. If attendance drops, the Astros deserve to feel that pinch, too. (It likely wouldn’t.)

Stripping the Astros of their 2017 championship would be useless. What happened, happened. The NCAA tries to rearrange reality, but mostly fails. Southern Cal football vacated its 2004 national championship because running back Reggie Bush got improper benefits from an agent. But those Trojans still won that season’s final, and Bush’s transgressions didn’t affect competitive balance on the field.

The Astros’ sign-stealing drastically affected competitive balance.

The Astros could only execute the scheme at home, because that’s where they had access to the necessary technology: Cameras, monitors, etc.

Game 1 of the 2017 World Series was at Los Angeles. Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw gave up one run, three hits and fanned 11 in seven innings. Dodgers win. Game 5 was at Houston. Kershaw gave up six runs in 4 2/3 innings. Astros win.

That is tangible benefit from cheating. It won the Astros a World Series.

The punishment given doesn’t properly reflect that. Minus-10 would come a lot closer.