When spring training began, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said the Astros cheating didn’t affect the outcome of games. The second that sentence left his mouth everyone knew he was lying. You just need to look at their numbers in the 2017 playoffs home vs. away splits for player batting averages because they were far distant from each other. Jose Altuve batted .472 at home and .143 away. Carlos Correa batted .371 at home and .211 away. Brian McCann batted .300 at home and .037 away. Alex Bregman batted .273 at home and .154 away. Those are just a few of the MANY Astros that reportedly stole signs.
Because the Astros cheated in the 2017 season their punishment in my eyes was very weak. They had a $5 Million fine and loss of first and second round draft picks for the upcoming 2020 season. No players got a suspension but Astros manager A.J. Hinch and G.M. Jeff Luhnlow got fired. Hinch got a one year suspension from baseball and won't be able to be a part of any team’s coaching staff for the whole 2020 season. Red Sox manager Alex Cora who was the Astros bench coach at the time also got fired along with Carlos Beltran. Beltran was an outfielder for the Astros and was about to manage his first season with the Mets.
Also a lot of players all around the MLB didn’t like how the Astros cheated and they let them know. Dodgers players felt that they got cheated out of a World Series title and were upset about it. Many players and fans lost trust in the Astros and I can’t blame them.