K9 posted:I'm not sure what MLB can do to discipline the players due to the Players Association. Management has been made the scapegoats, and the players will be able to say that Hinch/Cora pressured them to it.
Maybe. But Altuve is a former MVP, and Bregman, Springer and others weren't going to be benched without the matter attracting a lot of notice. I wouldn't buy that they could be coerced into cheating. There is also the fact that the players may have lied to MLB's investigators--I thought they received immunity at least in part in exchange for providing information. I don't pretend to know the details of the union's contract, but if MLB can't discipline players in circumstances like those alleged here, then that's a critical problem.
IMO, wearable buzzers take the scandal to another level, because it requires a different degree of coordination among multiple people on and off the field. It also seems likely to be much more effective than trying to pick out the sound of a trash can banging in a crowded stadium.
Obviously we need more facts. But just having these new allegations surface is bad. MLB will have to investigate and can't say "well, that's all behind us now." I assume people are already scrutinizing game films to look for Astros players suspiciously tugging at their collars. That footage of Altuve homering off Chapman does look awfully odd now.