With the court case against former MLB Cardinals Scouting Dir Chris Correa now completed, the focus "turns to what action" MLB "might take" against the club for its role in the Astros hacking scandal, according to a front-page piece by Doug Moore of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The team "could face stiff penalties," as MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred "has broad powers to assess fines, limit draft spending, or confiscate draft picks." Correa "pleaded guilty in January to five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer" and yesterday was sentenced to 46 months in prison. Astros General Counsel Giles Kibbe said that Correa "accessed the Houston team’s database 60 times on 35 different days" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/19). ESPN.com's Mark Saxon noted the criminal investigation "took more than 13 months, so most expect the commissioner’s people to take at least a month to gather facts and hand them over to Manfred to determine the Cardinals’ punishment, if there is any." There "has already been speculation that the harsh penalties he handed down" to the Red Sox for improperly signing amateur players -- "voiding existing contracts and barring the team from signing international prospects -- sets a bad precedent for the Cardinals" (ESPN.com, 7/18). In Houston, David Barron notes Correa "will report within two to six weeks to begin his sentence." He was "alternately counseled and lectured" by U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes "before a crowded courtroom that included several members of his family" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/19).
CARDINAL SIN: In St. Louis, Jose de Jesus Ortiz writes the so-called Cardinal Way "is a tarnished fantasy, if not a farce." Correa "has sullied the Cardinals’ mystique," and now has "had his day of reckoning." The Cardinals "now await their day of reckoning with Manfred, who is expected to fine" the organization and "perhaps even take away some draft picks." Even the most myopic Cardinals fan "can see the organization has been sullied" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/19).
