Will MLB award 2017 and '18 World Series titles to Dodgers amid sign-stealing scandal?

The City Council of Los Angeles is set to vote in a resolution to request Major League Baseball (MLB) to hand over the World Series titles won by the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox to the defeated finalists Los Angeles Dodgers. The Council is set to vote within the next week after the Astros and Red Sox were recently revealed to be involved in a sign-stealing scandal. LA Dodgers lost consecutive World Series finals in 2017 and 2018 to the Astros and the Red Sox respectively.

Also Read: Astros Sign-stealing Scandal: Team SACKS GM Jeff Luhnow, AJ Hinch After MLB Suspension

MLB hand out punishments to Astros for sign-stealing in 2017 World Series win

Also Read: MLB Legend Pete Rose Says Red Sox And Astros' Sign-stealing Scandals 'No Big Deal'

MLB recently released a report based on their investigation into a technology-supported sign-stealing by the Astros in 2017. MLB suspended general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager A.J. Hinch for 12 months while fining the Astros $5 million. Astros also lost their first and second-round draft picks for the next two seasons. Astros’ since then fired both AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow for their alleged involvement in the sign-stealing scandal. MLB are also investigating Red Sox’s alleged sign-stealing scandal in 2018. 

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Los Angeles City Council requests MLB to award 2017 and 2018 titles to the Dodgers

Gil Cedillo, a councilman and one of the sponsors of the resolution expects the council to approve it. In a report by the Los Angeles Times, Cedillo said that the decision is about equality and justice. He added that Dodgers were the best team in 2017 and 2018, and deserve the title because they lost it to "cheaters". While handing over the Championship titles to the Dodgers after MLB’s investigation is understandable, it is unrealistic and a bridge too far.  The Astros indeed cheated in 2017, while the Red Sox almost certainly did as well, but it is impossible to say that Dodgers would have won irrespective of whether the champions cheated or not. And it is prudent to say, with the current sign-stealing scandals breaking out all MLB, Dodgers might also be one of the teams involved.  So it would be best for baseball fans to let this go as an understanding of this moment in time and fix to it any indispensable personal significance, not unlike the steroid era, the dead-ball era, or the pre-integration era.

Also Read: Los Angeles Dodgers Third Team After Astros, Red Sox In MLB Sign-stealing Scandal?