Letter From Rob Manfred to Jeff Luhnow Reveals Further Details of Astros' Sign-Stealing Scandal

The Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal was the talk of the MLB offseason. The league's investigation resulted in four individuals losing their jobs, including former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, who was issued a year-long ban before being fired by the organization.

Well, Wall Street Journal's Jared Diamond reported on a previously undisclosed letter MLB commissioner Rob Manfred penned to Luhnow back in January, which provided further detail into the team's illegal practices.

The sign-stealing operation conducted by the Astros, which was apparently known throughout the organization as "Codebreaker," and was described as the "dark arts," reportedly began back in September of 2016. Amazingly enough, the whole operation started on an excel spreadsheet which was created by an intern.

Despite Luhnow claiming to be unaware of what was going on within the organization, the league's investigation found there was "overwhelming evidence" that Luhnow knew, or at least should have know, about the team's sign-stealing system's existence.

Diamond reports that Astros players began getting more involved in stealing signs during the 2017 campaign, which is when the team began its use of trash cans to relay information.

The term "dark-arts" was used multiple times in emails by one Astros' employee who was involved with reporting the findings of the operation, Tom Koch-Weser.

The evidence uncovered by the league was enough for Manfred to consider Luhnow responsible and hold him accountable for the organization's violations, which resulted in the one-year suspension, though many feel that is a rather weak punishment.