By: Kurt Snyder & Holly Horning
What a week it’s been! Baseball is under the gun over a cheating scandal unlike we have ever seen. And frankly, it has not been fun to follow.
As fans of the Tigers, we have followed the Houston Astros more than we normally would, given our interest in Justin Verlander who has continued to build his legacy in Houston. What JV thinks about all of this is anyone’s guess as he has kept quiet since the scandal came out.
Holly and Kurt have not shared their answers to the following question for the purpose of offering a wider range of perspectives.
So let’s get to it and see what our writers have to say.
Justin Verlander has always been an opponent of cheating but since the Astros scandal broke, we’ve heard nothing from him. What are our 2 bloggers’ takes on his silence?
KURT
Well, first of all, there is a ‘gag order.’ So nobody, especially no one from the Houston organization is talking. I don’t think we can fully understand what could happen to these players if they begin to speak out one way or the other. So regardless on what side of the topic they reside, it’s going to be a bit before players are able to speak out.
Yes, JV has been quite vocal in the past about cheating, about the baseball and anything that is considered below-board in our game. But this is a whole different ballgame (so to speak).
Baseball is doing a slow burn, especially in Houston, and it’s a smart thing for JV not to say anything at this time. I do expect him to, at some point, but not while this fire is so intense. And given the rumors that are developing about some of Houston’s most respected players, who knows if JV is involved or not. We can’t assume anything at this point.
This is becoming the most incredible scandal the more we hear about it and given the gag order, players are wise to keep their traps shut … including JV.
HOLLY
I don’t believe JV’s silence should be measured or analyzed because this is a situation in which much is going on in the background that no one, outside of those affiliated with the Astros, can shed any light on as to the reasons why.
In the past, JV has been outspoken on so many issues but the difference is that now this complicated situation has turned legal – and it’s still not over.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has instructed all teams not to speak publicly about the scandal and I’m sure the Astros have communicated the need for radio/tv/social media silence from everyone on the team. Additionally, all of the players interviewed were given immunity by MLB in exchange for their testimony so it’s hard to think how a player can speak about what happened without casting suspicion upon or indicting team members.
Additionally, we have no idea if JV was interviewed. If he wasn’t, then saying something that affirms he knew may lead to a possible indictment for him given that he hasn’t been granted immunity.
Potentially, he may also feel that he is not qualified to make a statement given that he only joined the team in early September of 2017. The cheating scandal primarily covers 2017 at this point and the question is how much, if any, did he see in that short time frame?
What I believe this all boils down to is that general concerns about the game overall have been replaced by serious and complicated legal issues focused on particular incidents. Coming from a family littered with lawyers, I know that his agent and lawyer (and probably the Players’ Union) immediately advised him to stay silent in order to avoid any legal action taken by either teammates or MLB should he want to voice an opinion.
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As Sparky used to say, “Every day the earth turns over on a guy who was sitting on top of it.”
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Hard to imagine that anyone who has played for the Astros during the past 3 years wouldn’t be aware of the cheating. Apparently it didn’t bother him all that much, since he signed that 2 year extension last March.
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I’m curious how mike fiers will be received? Was it only because he told or would it have been found out about anyway? Houston won’t have much of a farm system either. I hope jv will speak out at some point. Time will tell.
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I agree with Holly and Kurt’s viewpoint. Personally, I am going to wait and see what comes out in the coming months before I accuse JV of being a hypocrite. We’ve seen other examples of systemic cheating that didn’t always include the entire team. Either way, it’s just another huge black eye for MLB, and I am sure there will be a lot more fall out to come.
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I am highly skeptical that any of the players would be oblivious to the banging trash cans and such. In this case for me it’s complicit until proven innocent.
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JV is doing the right thing by staying silent now but it is hard to fathom how players from every team (i.e. Dodgers) will be able to stay silent in Spring Training when they will be inundated with questions about the scandal. If there is a silver lining to this issue, it’s that JV should be inducted to the HoF as a Tiger. Being identified with the 2017 WS has lost the majority of it’s luster and the chances the Astros win another WS are slim with the loss of draft picks, GM & manager!
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It will be interesting to see if JV going forward will continue to be outspoken on twitter. I would imagine he would receive backlash if he did. I noticed this week since the penalties were announced that Trevor Bauer has been active on twitter, he has been suspicious of JV’s and Cole’s vast improvement since joining the Astros.
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Bauer’s comments are problematic because JV was already well on the way to regaining his dominance before he left here. IIRC, he started pitching much better just before the all-star break, 2 months before he left. And if Bauer wants to talk about suspicious behavior, he should check the mirror for his Indians’ special ability to know what JV was going to throw – I sense a “pot-to-kettle” vibe there. I just hope JV can clarify matters for us once Manfred lifts the “gag order”.
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It’s been speculated that Manfred decided not to punish individual players because the CBA is up in 2021 and the player and owner relationship is bad enough without adding player suspensions to the mix. In return the players may have agreed to follow the gag order and stay quit. One of the co-conspirator’s will talk, they always do.
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My understanding is player contracts have a clause protecting the team from the player’s bad behavior (such as criminal activity) by voiding the remainder of the contract. Do players have the same protection? If I was a player seeking a free agent contract, I’d want a clause protecting me from the team’s bad behavior. Without it, guys like JV (assuming he wanted nothing to do with this scheme) are trapped.
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Did the cheating go on throughout all 27 outs? Or, was it at selective intervals such as with runners in scoring position? If it were selective, then the banging may have not been as often, and therefore less detectable. Is this why other teams didn’t pick up on it?
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I’ve been wondering the same thing. I watched a lot of Astro’s games and don’t remember ever hearing the garbage can on a broadcast but I sure have heard that stupid drum a lot during the Indians home games!!
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