Carlos Rodon Says MLB Punishment For Pitchers Is Sticky Situation When Compared To Astros Non-Punishment

Major League Baseball recently announced that pitchers will be suspended (with pay) for 10 games if caught using sticky substances on the mound. White Sox hurler Carlos Rodon was not happy about that, so he dunked on Commissioner Manfred.

"It's hard to see that they're giving out 10 game suspensions for cheating when they gave the Astros no suspensions at all," Rodon said. "If Rob Manfred can look himself in the mirror and say, 'Hey I'm doing the right thing', then that's fine. Can't suspend a team you knew was cheating during a playoff game? That's on you."

Where's the lie?

Rodon makes a great point. Pitchers started using substances to counteract the juiced baseball, and now suddenly they're the villain in this story. And to make matters worse, Manfred decided he would make this change in the middle of the season. That gives pitchers, who are more physical than they've ever been, no time to make adjustments. It's also dangerous for hitters, who are now at greater risk of being struck by an errant fastball.

Yesterday, Rays ace Tyler Glasnow blamed his injury on baseball's sudden protocols, and now Rodon is echoing the same sentiments.

Why us? Why now? Why no proper heads up? The Houston Astros knowingly relayed signs to hitters using video surveillance, and their punishment was losing a couple draft picks. Meanwhile Houston sits just 2.5 back in the American League West with full potential for a World Series ring. They got off scot free.

According to NBC's Chuck Garfien's report, Rodon doesn't even use substances on the mound anyway -- he just knows hypocrisy when he sees it. We'll take that with a grain of salt because we didn't expect many to admit they were using substances.

Major League Baseball is in a bad spot. They juiced baseballs to help hitters, but then home runs got out of control. Pitchers started using substances to manage the changes to the baseball, and now Manfred wants to make them out to be the problem. This debacle could lead to a lockout in 2022 with players insisting on the exit of Rob Manfred.

Players just don't seem afraid of the league's office the way they once were. That's probably a blessing as we move forward.