GM's OFFICE: Projections, psychology, and the Astros scandal

On an episode of the TGFBI podcast in mid-January, it was the first question I got asked. Earlier that day, MLB had released the report on the Astros sign-stealing scandal that had confirmed earlier reporting of the trash-can-banging scheme. The day’s news revolved around the suspension, then firing, of Houston GM Jeff Luhnow and Manager A.J. Hinch (though curiously, the plan was characterized as entirely player-driven). But the question was fair enough, given what we do here:

Will you be adjusting the 2020 BaseballHQ.com player projections given what we now know about the Astros?

My answer was “No,” and the reasoning was the same as it’s been for our response to the PED era, or the 2020 Rabbit Ball, or any one of a number of similar...

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