Rob Manfred has a credibility problem

In this file photo Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the Major League Baseball winter meetings in San Diego.  
(AP/Gregory Bull)
In this file photo Commissioner Rob Manfred speaks during the Major League Baseball winter meetings in San Diego. (AP/Gregory Bull)

At least one star player doesn't believe the commissioner's office. At all.

On Thursday, Tommy Pham posted a picture of a wrinkle on Jose Altuve's jersey.

The Padres outfielder, who was eliminated by Altuve's Astros while with the Rays in 2019's ALDS, posted it in response to an MLB statement about the rumored use of electronic buzzers by Astros hitters to signal the upcoming pitch. "MLB explored wearable devices during the investigation but found no evidence to substantiate it," the league told reporters on Thursday after players egged on rumors of Astros hitters using electronic buzzers.

That's a somewhat weaker denial than commissioner Rob Manfred gave Sports Illustrated on Monday. "I will tell you this: we found no Band-Aid buzzer issues," Manfred said. "There's a lot of paranoia out there."

It was the latest evolution in a never-ending spate of allegations against the Astros, and conspiracies about rampant sign-stealing across baseball.

I don't know what to make of the wrinkles on Jose Altuve's jersey and if you're reading this, you don't either. It could easily be a crease from playing three hours of baseball, not a tool of espionage. The wrinkle isn't a smoking gun, no matter how many Microsoft Paint circles highlight what you're supposed to be looking at.

Here's what matters: An established baseball star saw an official statement from their employer, and responded by swapping his baseball cap for a tinfoil one. Pham's response, a response then echoed by players across the league, shows how quickly trust has eroded between the game's players and its leaders.

How did we get to a place where a burner account baldly lying about being Carlos Beltran's niece has more equity with fans and players than the league?

On sign stealing, Rob Manfred said that MLB's investigation "revealed no evidence to suggest that GM Jeff Luhnow was unaware of the banging scheme," referring to the trash can Astros personnel whacked from the dugout to relay stolen signs to Houston batters. Mere sentences later, Manfred wrote, "there is both documentary and testimonial evidence that indicates Luhnow had some evidence of those efforts, but he did not give it much attention."

In other words Luhnow was aware of the sign-stealing attempts but not what is, literally, the loudest part of the sign-stealing attempt. Good luck parsing that.

At least Manfred disciplined Luhnow while holding him "personally accountable for the conduct of his Club." The commissioner also slammed Luhnow for the Astros culture, which he blamed for Brandon Taubman's harassment of three reporters in the clubhouse.

But while blaming Luhnow, Manfred absolved Astros owner Jim Crane. Relying on Crane, Luhnow's boss -- to steer the Astros to integrity is ridiculous, and that's before you get to his scandal-ridden business career. Crane was ultimately responsible for his organization's statement defending Taubman and smearing a reporter. Manfred called that an "inappropriate and inaccurate response," even though he went out of his way to separate Crane from his employees.

Manfred said Crane was "extraordinarily troubled and upset by the conduct of members of his organization" and claimed Crane "fully supported" his investigation. Yet, moments after the report was released, Crane rejected Manfred's assessment of his franchise and its problematic culture. "I don't agree with that," Crane said. "We've got a lot of great people. We have over 400 people working here. And they work hard."

Baseball's commissioner has tasked the Astros' owner with cleaning up a problem he does not believe exists.

It makes sense, though, in a larger pattern of Manfred minimizing the scandal before a full reckoning had come.

Manfred vehemently denied the widespread nature of sign stealing. "I have no reason to believe it extends beyond the Astros at this point in time," Manfred told ESPN's Jeff Passan in November.

The same report that fingered the Astros hinted that other teams were also cheating. Guess what: It extended beyond the Astros.

When Rob Manfred says something, the absolute bare minimum is that the game's biggest stars won't immediately dismiss it as false. Manfred's credibility among fans is gone. If the players don't believe him either, then how can he run their game?

Manfred's promised "really, really thorough investigation" has prompted more questions than conclusions; any reason to believe Manfred fades with every reported article, suspicious video clip and blurry tweet. The league needs to iron this out, quickly.

Sports on 01/18/2020

Upcoming Events