Since former St. Louis Cardinals scouting director Chris Correa agreed to a plea bargain months ago, executives in other front offices have assumed that at some point before the draft, Major League Baseball's hammer would come down on the St. Louis organization.
The New England Patriots lost a first-round pick and now will lose their Hall of Fame quarterback for a quarter of a season for deflating footballs, along with a hefty fine, so rival officials have been stretching their imaginations to figure out just how far the penalties will go for the Cardinals in the aftermath of their computer hacking of another team.