Mike Trout Says He 'Lost Respect for Some' Astros Players, Denies HGH Rumors

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout joined the growing chorus of players who are unhappy with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's decision not to punish Houston Astros players involved in the sign-stealing scandal.

"I don't agree with the punishments, with the players not getting anything. It was a player-driven thing," Trout told reporters Monday. "It sucks because a guy's career's been affected and a lot of people lost jobs. It was tough.

"Me going up to the plate and knowing what's coming would be pretty fun up there. A lot of guys lost respect for some of the [Astros players]. It seems like every day something new comes out."

Trout added, "You can take my shirt off...if you hit a homer to send your team to the World Series at home, you can do whatever you want to me.”

Trout also addressed rumors of HGH use, denying the allegations. Major League Baseball and the MLBPA previously released a statement denying the rumor.

"I didn't worry about it because it's not true," Trout told reporters. 

Trout added that Trevor Bauer's camp reached out to apologize for legitimizing the rumor. Bauer told Daniel Roberts of Yahoo that players were aware Trout had an exemption for HGH use due to a thyroid issue. He later walked back the allegation.

Manfred struck a deal with the MLBPA that granted Astros players immunity for their cooperation into the sign-stealing investigation. Astros players used video recordings to steal signs from opposing pitchers and would then bang on trash cans from the dugout to tip hitters when an off-speed pitch was coming.

The Astros fired general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch after MLB suspended them for a year. The Boston Red Sox parted ways with manager Alex Cora (a former Astros bench coach) and the Mets fired manager Carlos Beltran (a former Astros player) for their roles in the scheme.

Manfred defended giving players immunity, saying it was the only way for MLB to gather all the facts.

"Independent of what the GM did, the manager did, (the players) have an obligation to play by the rules and they didn't do it," Manfred told ESPN (h/t CBS Sports). "I understand when people say the players should've been punished. I understand why they feel that way. ... If I was in a world where I could've found all the facts without granting immunity, I would've done that."

Manfred added that there would be no tolerance for any retaliation against Astros players. Houston players and management have taken widespread criticism for their handling of public apologies since the scandal broke.