The St. Louis Cardinals were stripped of their top two picks in this year's amateur draft Monday and ordered to give them to Houston along with $2 million as compensation for hacking the Astros' email system and scouting database, the final step in an unusual case of cybercrime involving two Major League Baseball teams.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred also banned former St. Louis executive Christopher Correa for life as he ruled the Cardinals must give the 56th and 75th draft choices in June to Houston. They must pay the Astros the money within 30 days.
Correa, the Cardinals' director of baseball development until July 2015, pleaded guilty in federal court to five counts of unauthorized access of a protected computer. He was sentenced last summer to 46 months in prison and ordered to pay the Astros $279,039 in restitution.
Royals: Moss signs a 2-year deal
The Royals and designated hitter Brandon Moss have agreed to a $12 million, two-year contract to provide some power to the Kansas City lineup, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.
The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday because Moss still must pass a physical to make the deal official. That is expected to happen later this week.
Moss hit just .225 in 128 games for the St. Louis Cardinals last season, but his average was dragged down by a poor final stretch. He still wound up hitting 28 homers, and that power is what the Royals are hoping he will bring to a lineup that is otherwise built around speed and defense.
He is expected to take over for Kendrys Morales, who parlayed a successful run in Kansas City into a $33 million, three-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
MLB
Rays: Rasmus signs a 1-year deal
Free agent outfielder Colby Rasmus and the Tampa Bay Rays have finalized a $5 million, one-year contract.
Ramus can earn an additional $2 million in performance bonuses, the Rays said Monday.
The 30-year-old has a .241 career average with St. Louis (2009-11), Toronto (2011-14) and Houston (2015-16). He hit .206 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs in 107 games last year, reaching 15 homers for the fifth straight season, but his production dropped from a .238 average with 25 homers and 61 RBIs in 2015.
To open room on the 40-man roster, the Rays released outfielder Jason Coats. Claimed off waivers from the Chicago White Sox on Jan. 11, the 26-year-old injured his right elbow throwing the following day and needs Tommy John surgery.