Mariners Moose Tracks, 1/31/17: Jean Machi, Astros’ Draft Picks, and Marshawn Lynch

Happy Tuesday everybody!

Yesterday Major League Baseball finally came out with a ruling for the 2015 hacking scandal between the Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals. For those of you who need a quick refresher on the details of the case, you can find it here. As far as punishment goes, the MLB came down pretty hard on the the Cardinals. St. Louis now faces a $2 million fine, which is the maximum fine the commissioner can impose on an organization. In addition to the fine, St. Louis is also required to give Houston their top two draft picks in the upcoming draft, picks #56 and #75, respectively. You can read further about the nature of the ruling here.

As a Mariners fan, this ruling is disappointing simply because it strengthens the Astros’ already solid farm system. You can easily make the argument that the entire league was affected by the actions of the Cardinals because the stolen information was used against everybody. Sure, the Astros were the direct victims of the hacks, but as far as I have heard, there’s no proof the stolen information was leaked to the rest of the league. Therefore, the Astros lost no competitive advantage over any team other than the Cardinals, so it seems ridiculous to basically give them a leg up on everyone else as a result. I would have liked to see compensation dispersed more evenly throughout the league, with Houston getting an only slightly larger piece of pie than the other 28 teams. But I’m an intern, so what do I know?

Here’s what else happened around the baseball world.

In Mariners news...

• The Mariners have signed Jean Machi to a minor league deal. The 34 year-old reliever spent last season in the Giants’ minor league system, and will be added to the Mariners’ list of non-roster invites to camp this spring.
• Jerry Dipoto appeared on the Ringer MLB Show where he discussed topics ranging from GM etiquette to jet lag. You can listen to the full podcast here.

Around the league...

• Bud Norris has agreed to a minor league deal with the Angels. Norris will compete for the 5th spot in the Angels’ rotation as he looks to bounce back from a dismal 2016 season.
• Cleveland DFA’d Richie Shaffer to make room for newly acquired RHP, Carlos Frias. After leaving the Indians, Shaffer will be looking to sign with his sixth(!) team this offseason.
• Jury selection has begun in the human trafficking case against Bartolo Hernandez and Julio Estrada. Hernandez and Estrada are charged with illegally smuggling Cuban baseball players into the United States.
• The Royals are considering signing Jason Hammel.
• Casey Boguslaw of The Hardball Times writes about the importance of outfield defense.

Adam’s picks...

This is gold.