VIDEO: Jessica Mendoza Blames Ex-Astros Pitcher Mike Fiers for Spilling Beans on Sign-Stealing Scandal

Most people have painted the Astros and Red Sox as the bad guys in the MLB's sign-stealing scandal, but ESPN analyst Jessica Mendoza has an entirely different perspective. Mendoza put the blame instead on former 2017 Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, who in November publicly called out Houston for sign-stealing, prompting the MLB investigation.

Certainly, we haven't heard this elsewhere.

Mendoza's biggest issue was that Fiers benefitted from the sign-stealing, and called his former teammates out publicly after he'd left for a division rival. Theoretically, his old teammates would feel stabbed in the back.

While I understand where Mendoza is coming from, she doesn't seem nearly as upset at the fact that the Astros and Red Sox were cheating, instead focusing on the fact that they were outed by a former team member. She's also flat-out incorrect that this complaint was the origin point for investigations of the team.

Furthermore, Fiers wasn't the only person to call out the Astros for cheating. Many teams, including the Cleveland Indians, filed complaints to the MLB about sign stealing before Fiers said anything to the public.

While many teams had filed complaints to the MLB, they were only taken fully seriously once Mike Fiers spilled the beans on it.

While this may seem like a strange bit to focus on, one must remember that Mendoza was hired as an advisor to the Mets' front office prior to the 2019 season. The Mets' new manager, Carlos Beltran, was a member of the World Series-winning Astros from 2017, and may lose his new job due to this scandal. Therefore, Mendoza may be shifting the blame to try and save her manager's job, or just letting loose with anger that her team's decision might be un-done.

Of course, this begs the question: Why is a Mets employee the one who represents the game of baseball on a national television stage, anyway?