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Boras: Astros players were following orders

Michael Zagaris / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Agent Scott Boras believes Major League Baseball was right not to punish any players for the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal.

In describing the hypothetical mindset of an Astros player involved in the scheme, Boras said members of the roster were simply complying with team wishes.

"I'm doing what my organization is telling me to do," Boras, who represents Jose Altuve and Lance McCullers Jr., told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic on Wednesday. "You installed this. You put this in front of us. Coaches and managers encourage you to use the information. It is not coming from the player individually. It is coming from the team. In my stadium. Installed. With authority."

"Players were not given the latest state of the rules," Boras continued, comparing the players' roles to speeding on a road with no posted speed limit. "To suggest players violated rules that were withheld from them is a false incrimination of players."

After finding the Astros had violated league rules by using technology to steal signs from their opponents, the commissioner's office suspended manager AJ Hinch and GM Jeff Luhnow for one year each, stripped the team of its first- and second-round selections in the next two drafts, and fined the club $5 million. Both Hinch and Luhnow were subsequently fired.

Since then, both Boston Red Sox skipper Alex Cora and New York Mets manager Carlos Beltran have also been let go due to their roles in the Astros' sign-stealing scandal. Beltran was the only player mentioned in the nine-page report published by the league.

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