Of all the unknowns that still swirl around the cheating scandal that consumed the Houston Astros in late 2019 and early 2020, the most inexplicable has nothing to do with trash cans, stolen signs, suspensions or the lack thereof.
See, the 2020 Astros came into spring training having recently fired GM Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch over their roles in the scheme that tarnished the 2017 World Series. With players left untouched by MLB’s penalties but under a rare form of public attack from their usually subdued brethren, the first thing the intact Astros had to do was stage a public apology.