MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred had said that he would wait until after the U.S. attorney’s office and FBI investigation into the hacking scandal involving the Cardinals and Astros before baseball began one, and the commissioner’s office Friday evening "released a statement complimenting authorities for 'identifying the perpetrator of this crime,'" according to Goold & Patrick of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The Cardinals "could face stiff penalties; the commissioner has broad powers to assess fines, limit draft spending, or confiscate draft picks." Former Cardinals Scouting Dir Chris Correa "pleaded guilty Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court to five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer and was released on $20,000 bail." As part of his plea, Correa "admitted to using the accounts" of three Astros employees to "view sensitive and confidential information such as scouting reports, amateur player evaluations, notes on trade discussions, and proposed bonuses for draft picks." The information he accessed "was given an estimated value" of $1.7M by the U.S. Attorney’s office. Correa’s sentencing "is scheduled for April 11." No other member of the Cardinals’ organization "has been charged." The charges "carry a sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/10). In Houston, David Barron noted Correa told U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes that he "logged in to the Astros system because he suspected" the Astros under GM Jeff Luhnow, a former Cardinals employee, "were using proprietary data developed by the Cardinals." Correa said that he "determined that the Astros had done so but did not elaborate." When asked by Hughes what action he had taken, Correa said that he "told his co-workers" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/9). In N.Y., Dan Martin reported prosecutors "accused Correa of improperly downloading in 2013 an Excel file of the Astros’ scouting list of every eligible player for that year’s draft" (N.Y. POST, 1/9).
CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: YAHOO SPORTS' Jeff Passan wrote if MLB "doesn't dock the Cardinals draft picks in addition to a seven-figure fine, it is not just tacitly approving the computer crimes to which Correa pleaded guilty on Friday but encouraging similar nefariousness among other teams" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/8). In Houston, Evan Drellich wrote compensation for the Astros and/or punishment for the Cardinals "is expected to come not via the courts," but through Manfred, who "can play the role of arbitrator." There is a $2M cap on punishments, but "not on damages that can be awarded to another team." There is "no limit on what the Astros could receive" (CHRON.com, 1/8). In St. Louis, Benjamin Hochman wrote the Cardinals "deserve to be punished harshly," but the team's fans "probably won’t feel the brunt of what happens with the hacking scandal." The punishment "could, theoretically, be a hefty fine or a penalty that affects draft spending limits," and it will "have ripple effects in how the Cards’ front office approaches decisions in the near future" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/9). In N.Y., Tyler Kepner wrote the case from the start "pointed to the increased use of computer-driven analytics in baseball and other sports." The episode "has been a painful one for the Cardinals" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/9).
