Blue Jays: Mike Bolsinger files a lawsuit against the Astros

According to an article from Nancy Armour of USA Today, former Blue Jay Mike Bolsinger has filed a lawsuit against the Houston Astros.

Last month I wrote an article about the series that the Blue Jays played against the Houston Astros during the 2017 season. That was the year the Astros won the World Series, and it was also the season that was under the most intense scrutiny in relation to Houston’s sign-stealing scandal that has dominated off-season MLB headlines.

During that series, Mike Bolsinger was one Blue Jay pitcher who was really beat up, as he surrendered four runs over just a third of an inning pitched. If you go back and watch the video of that outing, it’s pretty clear that the Astros were using their trash can “banging” method to gain an advantage, and Bolsinger was one of many pitchers that was lit up when they were blatantly cheating.

Now that the story was been broken wide open and Bolsinger and others are aware of what happened, there are a lot of people around baseball who want to see the Astros held a lot more accountable than the punishments that were handed down from the MLB office, which included a one-year suspension of their GM and Manager, a five million dollar fine (maximum allowable), and forfeiting their first and second round picks in the next two drafts.

However, for Bolsinger that’s not enough, and he’s going to do what he can to make sure the Astros are held accountable. In fact, according to an article published earlier today from Nancy Armour of USA Today, Bolsinger has filed a civil lawsuit against the Astros, seeking to have them punished further.

"“….the former Toronto Blue Jays pitcher wants them held accountable. Bolsinger filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, accusing the Astros of unfair business practices, negligence and intentional interference with contractual and economic relations.”"

It will be very interesting to see what the courts think of this idea, but it’s hard to argue against the point that Bolsinger is making here. What makes it even more interesting, and makes me root for his cause even more, is that he’s not just seeking to make things right for himself, nor does it appear as though he’s looking to cash in, even if he’d be justified in doing so. Instead, his cause sounds pretty noble.

"“Bolsinger is seeking unspecified damages, but they’re not all for himself. He wants the Astros to forfeit the roughly $31 million in bonuses from their ill-gotten World Series title, and for the money to go to charities in Los Angeles focused on bettering kids’ lives, as well as to create a fund for retired baseball players who need financial assistance.”"

I mean, how can you root against the guy after reading something like that? Bolsinger went on to comment about how there’s “a message to be sent to youth out there”, and that “you don’t have to cheat to get where you want to go”. If that’s the angle he’s working while pursuing this lawsuit, then I hope the Astros just donate the money without this ever having to go to court.

In reality, Bolsinger was always a fringe MLB pitcher, but his final big league outing was the disaster against the Astros, and you could make an easy argument that it cemented his fate in North America. With that in mind, the now 32-year-old could realistically pursue the Astros for some money to line his own pockets, but instead he sounds more focused on the right message be sent to the league, and to the kids that dream of being professional baseball players someday.

Who knows if the lawsuit will get him anywhere, but I’ll certainly be rooting for him.