Alex Bregman's Astros goodbye is latest reminder Rob Manfred blew it with sign-stealing punishment

Earlier this week, infielder Alex Bregman signed a massive deal with the Boston Red Sox. The former Houston Astros third baseman inked a deal for three years (opt outs avaliable after each season) and $120 million. Compared to other offers on the table from the Tigers and Cubs, the decision to go to Boston was a no-brainer for Bregman.

Now as Bregman prepares for the 2025 season with a change of scenery, he still wants to take time to remember the good times he had the last nine seasons with his former club. Like many players do in this era, Bregman posted a heart-felt message addressed to Houston on social media for the world to see. This post of course had no mention of the cheating scandal Bregman was a part of in 2017 but he acknowledged capturing a championship that year. This reminded us just how bad Rob Manfred handled that whole situation.

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Reminder: Rob Manfred dropped the ball on Astros scandal

Bregman used Instagram to reminisce on the time he had with the Astros. Obviously a lot of relationships were built within that organization over the last nine years and Bregman's absence in the Houston locker room will be clear. Bregman made it a point to mention the two championships he won with Houston, including the one in 2017 that comes with an asterisk.

Throughout the 2017 season and during meaningful games in the playoffs, the Astros created a system to steal signs and relay messages to hitters. There was a live camera feed that allowed Houston to see signs and players or staff members in the dugout would do things like bang on trash cans to let the hitter know what pitch was coming.

With this information being confirmed, anyone with common sense would imagine that the Astros would have to forefeit their 2017 championship since they cheated to obtain it. However, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred did less that swat Houston on the wrist.

No players involved in this scandal was punished, only some coaches loss jobs. Additionally, Houston lost their first and second round picks in both the 2020 and 2021 MLB draft but their MLB roster was still loaded so that consequence did not prove harmful.

The most comical punishment Manfred handed down to the Astros organization was a $5 million fine. To put into perspective how little money that is for an organization like Houston, the Astros generated $347 million in revenue in 2017.

Bregman should be proud of the accomplishments he achieved in his time with the Astros, at least the ones that were honest. We all know the punishments (or lack thereof) that Bregman and his teaamates/organization faced in 2017 was an injustice to Major League Baseball.