Carlos Correa denies Astros were intimidated by Carlos Beltran

Carlos Correa denied stories that Carlos Beltran intimidated a inexperienced Astros clubhouse into thieving signals in 2017, declaring Thursday that “every person” could have stopped the scheme had they preferred to.

“We failed to come to feel afraid of Beltran we failed to come to feel intimidated,” Correa said, for each ESPN. “Whoever the anonymous resource is which is declaring that we felt intimidated or we were also younger to say something, which is just straight-up bulls—.”

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Previously in the 7 days, The Athletic reported that “small groups of Astros discussed their misgivings” about the team’s sign-thieving throughout the 2017 season, and that catcher Brian McCann approached Beltran — reportedly the ringleader of the scheme — to try out to cease it, accoridng to two unnamed associates of the group.

“He disregarded it and steamrolled every person,” the report rates an anonymous participant as declaring. “The place do you go if you’re a younger, impressionable participant with the Astros and this man claims, ‘We’re doing this’? What do you do?”

Correa, alongside with other Astros, pushed again against that narrative throughout their to start with general public responses Thursday and defended Beltran, who was fired from his managerial task with the Mets previously this offseason as a result of the sign-thieving scandal.

“Beltran failed to intimidate any individual,” Correa said. “I know I am Puerto Rican (as is Beltran), and men and women will say, ‘Oh, he is just attempting to secure him.’ But you can chat to just about every one man right here that was right here in 2017. Beltran is an unbelievable gentleman. He is a straight-up gentleman. And no one — not even you [reporters] — no one, no one, would come to feel intimidated by his existence, by his management.

“I really don’t see a particular person which is your mentor and is there for you when you happen to be having difficulties as an intimidating particular person.”

Jose Altuve reiterated Correa’s viewpoint Thursday.

“Carlos was never ever a bad teammate,” Altuve said in Spanish, for each ESPN. “Under no circumstances took edge of his status of owning 20 yrs in MLB, what ought to be a Corridor of Fame vocation, to steamroll any individual.”