MLB strips Cardinals of draft picks, fines them $2 million for Astros hack
Major League Baseball dropped an unprecedented penalty on the St. Louis Cardinals for their former scouting director’s hacking of the Houston Astros’ computer system, ordering the Cardinals to send their top two draft picks to the Astros and pay them $2 million in damages, while placing perpetrator Chris Correa on the permanently ineligible list.
Commissioner Rob Manfred wrote in his ruling that no Cardinals employee other than Correa participated in the hacking and there will be no further discipline.
“Although Mr. Correa’s conduct was not authorized by the Cardinals, as a matter of MLB policy I am holding the Cardinals responsible for his conduct,” Manfred wrote.
Monday’s actions seemingly put an end to a saga that began when Correa, a former colleague of Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, hacked into their computer systems in 2013 and 2014 after Luhnow and other Cardinals executives joined the Astros. Correa’s role came to light in 2015, when the Cardinals terminated him while he was under federal investigation. In July 2016, Correa was sentenced to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay the Astros $279,000 in restitution.
"This unprecedented award by the Commissioner's office sends a clear message of the severity of these actions,” the Astros said in a statement.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...hack/97250008/