Crane: Astros will 'apologize for what happened, ask for forgiveness'

Houston Astros owner Jim Crane said that an apology will be coming from his team's players that were involved in the electronic sign-stealing scandal.

"When we get down to spring training, we'll all get them together and they'll come out with a strong statement as a team and, I think, apologize for what happened and move forward," Crane said Tuesday, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

The 66-year-old interim head of baseball operations acknowledged the players who've talked haven't been very vocal and are waiting until spring training to respond.

"Everyone is split up. It's a team," Crane added. "We're going to sit in a room and talk about it, then we'll come out and address the press. All of them will address the press, either as a group or individually.

"Quite frankly, we'll apologize for what happened, ask for forgiveness and move forward."

None of Houston's players have expressed any regret since Major League Baseball concluded, through a lengthy investigation, that the Astros cheated during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Team manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were fired by the club after the league suspended both for one year following its investigation. Houston was also fined $5 million and lost its first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts.