MLB players are in agreement that the Houston Astros crossed the line and then some with their electronic sign stealing in 2017. Some of those players, however, will be playing alongside guys who were a part of that scheme.
Current New York Mets players J.D. Davis and Jake Marisnick were both members of the 2017 Astros, and certainly had knowledge of what the team was doing. In Marisnick’s case, he was an active beneficiary. However, Mets teammate Michael Conforto wouldn’t condemn the pair, which Joel Sherman of the New York Post expects to be copied by other players with teammates who played on that team.
1/Conforto showed blueprint I expect from players who have 2017 #Astros as current teammates. Was critical of Beltran/Hou: "There is a line that shouldn't be crossed." But when asked about Davis/Marisnick, who reporting showed crossed the line in '17, Conforto said they are
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 11, 2020
2/our guys, separating them from anything ongoing with Astros/RedSox. Felt familiar from steroid era, where guys were furious at perceived cheaters on other teams, but loved/protected the cheating teammate. Fan bases do the same: your guys cheating, my guy is persecuted unfairly
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 11, 2020
One of the reasons MLB did not push harder to punish players involved was because several have moved on to other teams and it would not be fair to those organizations to belatedly punish them for something that happened somewhere else. It’s going to make for awkward moments as guys who were on that team play alongside guys who hate what that team did.
Marisnick played in 106 games for that year’s Astros, so he was certainly aware of what was going on. Davis wasn’t quite as aware, or so he says.
