The MLB Cardinals "have terminated the contract" of Scouting Dir Chris Correa as investigations "continue into alleged hacking" of an Astros database, according to Patrick & Goold of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Cardinals attorney James G. Martin confirmed the move, saying that Correa "already had been on an 'imposed leave of absence.'" Correa "oversaw the Cardinals’ amateur draft, selecting and signing players who could define the organization’s future." He was notified last week that he "would not be a part of that future." Correa's attorney, Nicholas Williams, in a prepared statement said, “Mr. Correa denies any illegal conduct. The relevant inquiry should be what information did former St. Louis Cardinals employees steal from the St. Louis Cardinals organization prior to joining the Houston Astros, and who in the Houston Astros organization authorized, consented to, or benefited from that roguish behavior?” A source said that Correa has "admitted hacking into a Houston database but only to determine whether the Astros had stolen proprietary data." The source added that Correa "did not leak any Astros data and is not responsible for additional hacks that the FBI has alleged occurred." Correa spent "several years in the Cardinals’ brain trust as an analyst" before being promoted to his most recently held position (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/4).
LOSS OF A TALENT: In St. Louis, Joe Strauss wrote the firing of Correa "was the Cardinals' move." He was outed by the club’s internal investigation "seemingly only a nanosecond after speaking for the organization about its draft haul." Correa "played a pivotal role in the organization’s development of psychological analysis of potential draftees." Correa "took ownership" of the scouting process. He "attended scout school and frequently could be found during home games sitting beside" Senior VP & GM John Mozeliak and Special Assistant to the GM Mike Jorgensen in the scout seats. Strauss: "The Cardinals aren’t just entitled, they’re obligated to remove the stench resulting from such activity" (STLTODAY.com, 7/3). Also In St. Louis, Bernie Miklasz offered his "five-point reaction" to the firing of Correa (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/4).
TRUE TEST FOR OWNERSHIP: The POST-DISPATCH's Miklasz wrote when the Cardinals fired Correa, "another talented baseball analyst made his exit" from the baseball-operations HQ at Busch Stadium. With Correa gone, the "brain-drain continued." Correa’s "hack attack was foolish and irresponsible, but he was a rising star in the industry." Baseball insiders "touted Correra as having one of the most formidable young minds in the game." The turnover inside the Cardinals' HQ "has been frequent and significant." With the FBI "still investigating the Cardinals’ alleged cyber espionage," one has to assume the club "will absorb more hits and damaging repercussions." If Cardinals Chair & CEO Bill DeWitt Jr. is "truly as furious and shaken as many within the game believe, there’s no predicting his eventual course of action here." No one "would blame DeWitt for scrubbing the stain by cleaning house and clearing out the baseball front office." DeWitt "can’t overcompensate by firing innocent staffers." But on the other hand, he "can’t afford to come across as cavalier or unrepentant." This will be the "biggest test of DeWitt’s public life" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 7/5).
