New Report Reveals MLB and Astros Players Struck Bargain for Immunity in Cheating Scandal

While we long suspect this to be the case, it's now official that the wide-ranging punishments in MLB's latest cheating scandal don't include the league's players for a very clear-cut reason.

Commissioner Rob Manfred knew the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal wouldn't come to a head without player involvement, and thus gave all players immunity against punishment, per a new report in the Wall Street Journal.

Rob Manfred said repeatedly that the Astros' cheating was "player-driven." No players were punished.

There's a reason for that: MLB and the MLBPA cut a deal early in the investigation granting immunity for honesty.

Here's why and how that went down.https://t.co/XWkyUGsvCz
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) January 22, 2020

Rob Manfred and the MLBPA agreed to exclude player punishment in conjunction with the Astros cheating scandal in exchange for complete and honest testimonies against the Astros. This led to the 23 players being interviewed about the cheating, including current and former Astros players.

The deal was crucial, as under the collective bargaining agreement, the union had no power in stopping interviews with the players, but the players were not required to be completely candid or forthcoming in their answers, as they feared suspensions or other repercussion. With the agreement in place, Rob Manfred called the investigation "player-driven" in his official report, in part because players were able to speak fearlessly about the cheating they did.

There is a ton of surprise around the game about how the Astros players answered questions over the weekend about the sign-stealing episode and suspensions. Rival officials thought the players would've been well-served by at least some expressions of regret, contrition.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 20, 2020

Like it or not, it was an incredibly necessary move by MLB, because it allowed for investigations to move forward and for MLB owners and the player's union to further strengthen their trust in the league office (except for the Astros' ownership, I suppose).

There was, of course, blow back from fans about the players not being punished, but justice was served to the Astros with the most severe league punishments to date.

It's not ideal to be unable to hold everyone accountable for their actions, but in the end, it's for the betterment of MLB, something that is greatly needed after this scandal, especially with labor peace otherwise at an all-time low heading into the next CBA negotiations. As a possible strike looms, further discord was the last thing the league could afford.