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The Houston Astros' front office never passed on to players an official memo from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred regarding sign-stealing, according to the Wall Street Journal's Jared Diamond.
Diamond reported that was one reason MLB granted immunity to players who were forthright during the league's investigation into the team. The Major League Baseball Players Association would have had compelling grounds to appeal any punishments levied against Astros players:
Jared Diamond @jareddiamondOne reason why MLB agreed to grant immunity to players in the sign-stealing investigation: The league thought it would lose grievance hearings, in part because the Astros' management never passed on Rob Manfred's 2017 sign-stealing memo to players.