Derek Jeter on Astros' Sign-Stealing Scandal: 'It's a Black Eye for the Sport'

Miami Marlins CEO Derek Jeter is a baseball legend and recently elected Hall of Famer, and he believes the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal is a "black eye for the sport."

"It's like a slow drip of responses coming out from everyone," he said Monday, per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN.com). "You hope at some point people can just move on. But look, it's unfortunate. It's a black eye for the sport."

He went on to explain the Astros took "trying to get an edge" too far:

"When you talk about people trying to get an edge in baseball, I don't think that's anything new. People have been trying to do it for years. But, obviously, people took it way too far. And there are penalties for it. They're paying the price.

"Regardless of what the penalties are, others are going to have their opinions on what they think should happen. You hope that over time it passes. But I'm sure this is going to sting for a while."

The sign-stealing scandal has dominated headlines throughout the baseball world this offseason since Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers, who was a member of the Astros during the 2017 championship run, was one of those who told Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic about the practices.

Major League Baseball fined Houston $5 million, stripped the team of its first- and second-round draft picks for 2020 and 2021 and suspended general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch for one year.

Houston fired both Luhnow and Hinch after the punishments were announced.

The implications extended beyond the Astros, as the Boston Red Sox parted ways with manager Alex Cora and the New York Mets did the same with manager Carlos Beltran. Cora was Houston's bench coach during the 2017 season, while Beltran was a veteran player and leader in the clubhouse.

As for Jeter, he is tasked with looking to lead a turnaround in Miami for a franchise that finished a National League-worst 57-105 last year. He believes the team is making strides toward earning trust from the fans.

"From the interactions I've had, people are starting to get excited," Jeter said. "We're trying to earn the trust of the fanbase. It takes a little time. We're hoping more people are starting to trust us, and they come out and give us a chance."