"That's bulls--t, I don't care about that" - When Miguel Cabrera defended Houston Astros over sign-stealing scandal 

The Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal is one of the most talked about incidents in MLB history.

It's been almost seven years now since the Astros’ contentious World Series win, yet baseball fans on social media rarely waste an opportunity to remind the Astros and their supporters how tainted their 2017 victory was.

While the Astros have had their critics, they’ve also been defended to a degree by certain players and analysts. One of them being future Hall of Famer Miguel Cabrera.

In an interview with ESPN in 2021, the Detroit Tigers legend mentioned that the sign-stealing fiasco isn’t the only reason the Houston Astros won.

The reason for his analogy being that hitting a baseball takes more than just knowing the incoming pitch.

"That's bulls—, I don't care about that. In the end, it's baseball. … [Try to] go ahead and do it like those guys did."

An investigation concluded by MLB in 2020 found that the Astros did indeed use a camera-based system coupled with an elaborate trash can-banging plan that helped hitters anticipate pitches in advance.

Several sanctions were handed out to the Astros, including suspensions to general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch. Both were subsequently fired by Houston.

Hinch went on to become manager of the Tigers, paving the way for him to coach and work with Cabrera in the process.

Did the Houston Astros really cheat?

While their sign-stealing measures didn’t outright win the World Series for the Houston Astros, it certainly gave them an edge.

One can understand the thought process behind Miguel Cabrera’s reasoning. However, there is no denying that the Astros practiced something that gave them a clear advantage, especially during the 2017 postseason.

So the outrage from players of other teams, fans and everyone else in the baseball community isn't totally unjustified.

The Astros had an excellent team. They most definitely would have won the World Series in 2017 anyway, which makes their decision to practice such a scheme even more baffling. However, it's been almost seven years now. Maybe, it’s time for fans to move on.