Major League Baseball ruled on Monday that the St. Louis Cardinals must send their first two picks in the 2017 MLB Draft to the Houston Astros as a result of the team’s hacking scandal.
Cardinals to award their top 2 '17 MLB Draft picks (Nos. 56, 75), $2M to Astros for breach of HOU's database. https://t.co/PzXcAZ382R pic.twitter.com/MftywswuH7
— MLB (@MLB) January 30, 2017
It’s a major ruling that will help offset what the league views to be a competitive disadvantage that impacted the Astros when they were rivals of the Cardinals in the National League Central before their move to the American League West in 2013.
St. Louis does not possess a first-round pick in this year’s draft, meaning the two selections (56th and 75th overall) are both being sent to the Astros.
To be clear, this is a major punishment. It’s unprecedented in the world of professional baseball. And more than the $2 million the Cardinals will be fined, those two draft picks will hurt the team big time moving forward. After all, the Cardinals have been as good as any organization in baseball when it comes to cultivating talent in the minors.
On the other hand, this ruling will surely help an up-and-coming Astros organization. Houston now boasts five of the first 91 picks in the draft.