Background

Phase 2 wantlist hit cleared. The foundational modern application of the Commissioner's Best Interests authority in the post-Manfred era — directly invoked, with explicit reference to and continuity from, the September 15, 2017 Red Sox/Yankees Apple Watch decision (in this archive). The doctrinal chain runs: 'best interests' authority of the 1921 Major League Agreement (Article I, Sec. 6) → 2005 MLB Constitution Article II Secs. 2-4 → modern federal-court deference established in Finley v. Kuhn, 569 F.2d 527 (7th Cir. 1978) (in archive). Procedural epilogue not in the decision itself: within one hour of release, the Astros fired Luhnow and Hinch (technical compliance with the suspension by termination rather than retention-under-suspension); Alex Cora was separately disciplined by Manfred via the subsequent April 22, 2020 'Decision of the Commissioner in re Boston Red Sox' (which addressed both Cora's 2017 Astros role and the 2018 Red Sox replay-room conduct); Carlos Beltrán resigned as New York Mets manager within days of this decision's release. Doctrinal note: although the decision references the cooperation-for-immunity arrangement with players, the decision itself does not make the immunity grant on its face — the immunity was extended by the Commissioner's Office and the MLBPA in a separate agreement memorialized in correspondence not reproduced in the decision.

Key provisions

• Discipline: Luhnow and Hinch each suspended without pay for the 2020 season; Astros fined $5,000,000 (statutory maximum under the MLB Constitution); forfeiture of Astros' first- and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021 MLB Drafts.
• Owner finding: 'I also can say our investigation revealed absolutely no evidence that Jim Crane, the owner of the Astros, was aware of any of the conduct described in this report.'
• Investigation scope: 68 witnesses (including 23 current and former Astros players); period 2016 through January 2020; tens of thousands of emails, Slack communications, text messages, video clips, and photographs; certain Astros employees provided cellphones for imaging and search.
• Section I (Rules Violations in the 2017 Season): At the beginning of the 2017 season, employees in the Astros' video replay review room began using the live center-field-camera feed to decode and transmit opposing teams' sign sequences (for runner-on-second-base situations), relayed via runner to the dugout, then signaled to the runner. Communications occurred by phone, text message, smart watch on the bench, and cellphone.
• Section I (continued — the trash-can scheme): Approximately two months into the 2017 season, a group of players including Carlos Beltrán discussed improving on the sign-decoding. Alex Cora arranged for a video room technician to install a monitor displaying the center field camera feed immediately outside the Astros' dugout. One or more players would watch the live feed, and after decoding the sign, a player would bang a nearby trash can with a bat (or, occasionally, a massage gun) to communicate the upcoming pitch type. Initial experiments with clapping, whistling, and yelling were abandoned in favor of trash-can banging. Generally, one or two bangs corresponded to off-speed pitches; no bang corresponded to a fastball.
• Section I (continued): The trash-can scheme was 'player-driven, and with the exception of Cora, non-player staff (including individuals in the video replay review room) had no involvement in the banging scheme.' Both methods (replay-room decoding and trash-can banging) ran in parallel throughout 2017.
• Player-immunity rationale (referenced): The decision quotes the September 15, 2017 Red Sox/Yankees decision and references the 'difficulty of assessing individual player culpability' given that 'virtually all of the Astros' players had some involvement in or knowledge of the schemes.'
• Authority: Decision issued under the Commissioner's Best Interests authority — the modern application of the doctrinal framework traced through Federal Baseball (1922) → Toolson (1953) → Flood (1972) → Finley v. Kuhn (7th Cir. 1978) → MLB Constitution Article II Secs. 2-4.

Notable provisions

On November 12, 2019, former Houston Astros player Mike Fiers publicly alleged in an article published by Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic that the Astros had engaged in sign-stealing methods in 2017 that violated MLB's rules. The allegations in the article created significant concern among many of our fans and other MLB Clubs regarding the adherence to our rules by those participating in our games, and the principles of sportsmanship and fair competition.— Statement of the Commissioner, In re Houston Astros, Jan. 13, 2020, at 1

At the outset, I also can say our investigation revealed absolutely no evidence that Jim Crane, the owner of the Astros, was aware of any of the conduct described in this report. Crane is extraordinarily troubled and upset by the conduct of members of his organization, fully supported my investigation, and provided unfettered access to any and all information requested.— Statement of the Commissioner, In re Houston Astros, Jan. 13, 2020, at 1

Witnesses have provided largely consistent accounts of how the monitor was utilized. One or more players watched the live feed of the center field camera on the monitor, and after decoding the sign, a player would bang a nearby trash can with a bat to communicate the upcoming pitch type to the batter. (Witnesses explained that they initially experimented with communicating sign information by clapping, whistling, or yelling, but that they eventually determined that banging a trash can was the preferred method of communication.) Players occasionally also used a massage gun to bang the trash can. Generally, one or two bangs corresponded to certain off-speed pitches, while no bang corresponded to a fastball.— Statement of the Commissioner, In re Houston Astros, Jan. 13, 2020, at 2

Further context

Manfred Astros Sign-Stealing Decision (Jan 13, 2020)

The nine-page "Statement of the Commissioner" / "In re Houston Astros / Decision" — Commissioner Manfred's disciplinary decision on the Astros sign-stealing investigation. Phase 2 wantlist hit cleared. Status needs_review pending Wayback snapshot for the MLB CDN URL.

The discipline imposed

• Jeff Luhnow (Astros GM): suspended without pay for 2020.
• A.J. Hinch (Astros Field Manager): suspended without pay for 2020.
• Houston Astros (club): fined $5,000,000 (statutory maximum under the MLB Constitution).
• Houston Astros (club): forfeiture of first- and second-round draft picks in the 2020 and 2021 MLB Drafts.
• Jim Crane (Astros owner): explicitly cleared — no evidence of knowledge.

Within one hour of the decision's release, the Astros fired both Luhnow and Hinch.

Why this is operationally foundational

This is the modern Finley v. Kuhn application — the decision that defined what the Commissioner's "best interests" authority can reach in the post-Manfred era. Every subsequent integrity-of-game decision (the April 22, 2020 Red Sox sign-stealing decision; the 2024 Marcano and four-player gambling decisions; the 2024 Ohtani-Mizuhara closure) operates against the doctrinal frame this decision establishes.

The doctrinal chain runs:

1. 1921 Major League Agreement, Article I, Sec. 6 (Commissioner's investigative authority).
2. 2005 MLB Constitution Article II Sections 2-4 (modern best-interests authority text).
3. Finley v. Kuhn, 569 F.2d 527 (7th Cir. 1978) — federal-court deferential review framework.
4. This decision — modern application: sign-stealing technology, player immunity in exchange for cooperation, statutory-maximum fines, draft-pick forfeiture.

Verification status

needs_review — primary-publisher PDF from MLB's CDN; the Washington Post "Context" page hosts the same document as an independent contemporaneous reproduction (Wayback-snapshotted July 23, 2025). Wayback snapshot for the MLB CDN primary URL pending.

Related documents in the archive

• 2017-09-15_statement_manfred-red-sox-yankees-apple-watch.md — the immediate doctrinal predecessor (also in this folder).
• ../antitrust-and-courts/1978-04-07_caselaw_finley-v-kuhn.md — the foundational federal appellate ruling on Commissioner's "best interests" authority.
• 1989-08-23_agreement_rose-giamatti-permanent-ineligibility.md — the Pete Rose discipline action; canonical Best Interests application in a prior commissioner era.

Related documents

Related documents

Manfred Red Sox / Yankees Apple Watch statement (Sep 15, 2017), Finley v. Kuhn, 1976-03-09_caselaw_kansas-city-royals-v-mlbpa-8th-cir, Rose-Giamatti Agreement (Aug 23, 1989)

Source provenance

• Primary source
• The Washington Post — 'Context' page hosting MLB's statement