A day after whistleblower Mike Fiers revealed that he has received death threats over his role in bringing the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme to light, current Houston outfielder Josh Reddick says the same is true for not just him, but also his family. Speaking to media on Friday, Reddick says he has received threats on social media that target his wife and five-month-old twin boys:
You just see the first things in your suggested box and it just says, ‘I will kill your family. I will kill your kids. Blah blah blah.’ It’s depressing to read because it’s over a game of baseball. It’s not worth that kind of drastic measure.
Reddick was not one of the members of the Astros who participated in the sign-stealing scheme, and yet he is still being targeted for his continued employment by the team. The threats have raised alerts within both Houston and MLB, particularly given how easy it is to access players. Reddick pointed out that fans can easily find out which hotel the players are staying at, as well as when they’re heading to a particular stadium before game.
That makes social-media threats an actionable concern, one the MLB Players Association seems to be taking seriously. Former Tigers first baseman and current head of the MLBPA Tony Clark also spoke to reporters after a long meeting with the Astros, where he shared Reddick’s concerns:
There are undoubtedly concerns out there based on some of the commentary. … There’s a heightened sense of concern to make sure that themselves and their families are protected. There’s no doubt making sure that our players and their families are able to go to and from the ballpark and perform safely is a huge piece of the puzzle.
On top of the death threats that they are receiving online, Astros players are also on the end of lightly-veiled promises from pitchers around the league to throw at them this season as retribution for the cheating scandal. The team has asked MLB to help protect them from such retaliation.
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