Astros Release Questionable Statement Following Report of Assistant GM's Roberto Osuna Comment

The Houston Astros just gave us all a masterclass in how not to respond to some controversial comments from an assistant general manager.

Front office exec Brandon Taubman was reported to screamed his unabashed love for closer Roberto Osuna -- who was once suspended 75 games for a violation of baseball's domestic violence policy -- in front of a group of female reporters. Rather than shipping out the normal PR junk, the Astros claimed that Stephanie Apstein's subsequent story in Sports Illustrated was a complete and utter lie, and that the story was "fabricated, "misleading," and "irresponsible."

First off, the Astros can take that "difficult time" anecdote and shove it, as Osuna's behavior immediately cost him the sympathy card. Second, Houston throws not even a little bit of blame on Taubman here; in fact, the organization seems to be tacitly condoning his behavior. At the very least, they're not coming out against it in any context.

Osuna should consider himself lucky even to be on a big league roster after what went down behind closed doors while he played for the Blue Jays, and the Astros should rightfully be walking on eggshells with regards to just about anything relating to him. There's no accurate description of Taubman's actions other than despicable.