Alex Rodriguez Says Astros Have Earned Negative Narrative After Cheating Scandal

The Houston Astros' mea culpa following their sign-stealing scandal has gone so poorly that even former cheaters are calling out the team's hollow apologies. 

ESPN baseball commentator Alex Rodriguez, who was suspended for a full season in 2014 for taking steroids, says the Astros deserve all the jeers and boos they get this season.

"I think the one thing that has really upset the fans is you cheat, you win a championship, there is no suspension, and then there is no remorse," the former MVP said during a spring training broadcast of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox exhibition Tuesday.

"From a guy who has made as many mistakes as anybody on the biggest stage, I served the longest suspension in Major League Baseball history. It cost me well over $35 million, and you know what? I deserved that," Rodriguez added. 

To date, the toughest punishment the Astros have received outside the firings of general manager Jeff Luhnow and field manager AJ Hinch has come in the form of boos, jeers and opposing players around the league cracking jokes at their expense.

That's not enough in A-Rod's mind.

"The way you change your narrative is you have to be accountable," he said. "You've earned all this negative talk. You've earned whatever comes your way."

Despite what the former Yankee thinks, the league instead has made clear that any pitcher who intentionally throws at the Astros this season will be punished. That Rodriguez was making his comments during a game the Red Sox were involved in only makes the words hit harder. Boston is still under a league investigation for sign stealing that MLB has continued to extend. 

All the while there have been lawsuits levied against the Astros from fans and former players who feel personally cheated by the scandal, as Bleacher Reports' Scott Miller detailed.

As for what Houston can do in the meantime, A-Rod has a suggestion.

"People want to see remorse," Rodriguez said. "They want a real, authentic apology, and they have not received that thus far."