Beyond the Baseline: Inside Chris Correa’s MLB Lifetime Ban for Hacking the Astros

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred made headline news this week when he announced changes to a long standing MLB policy. Manfred announced to the world that 'lifetime bans' are just that - for a life time. So, players like Pete Rose and 'Shoeless' Joe Jackson who have passed on will be removed from MLB's "Permanent Ineligible List".

That means that those once banned players will be allowed to potentially be voted into Baseball's Hall of Fame. People have a lot of strong feelings in both directions when it comes to Pete, Shoeless Joe, and others now being eligible. There are thousands of stories online right now dedicated to that very subject. But, that's not what this story is about.

My first reaction once the Commissioner made this announcement was - "I wonder who, if anyone, is still serving a lifetime ban." And it turns out there are several notable names - including a couple with some deep Texas ties.

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Former Scouting Director Banned For Hacking the Houston Astros

Thanks in large part to the Houston Astros' own scandal in 2017, I completely forgot about this entire incident. Chris Correa, former scouting director for the St. Louis Cardinals, is now the person with the longest lifetime ban in baseball.

In 2016, Correa plead guilty to hacking into the Houston Astros computer system. Correa illegally gained access into the Astros' system which held information like contract details, medical reports, scouting reports and other "proprietary information".

Ultimately, Correa received a lifetime ban from baseball and was sentenced to 46 months in prison. Due to the incident, Cardinals were also forced to give up multiple draft picks and pay the Astros $2 million dollars.

Former Texas Rangers Pitcher Serving Lifetime Ban for Sexual Harassment

Mickey Callaway, who played for the Texas Rangers from 2003-2004, is also serving out a lifetime ban from baseball. An investigation was launched into Callaway in 2021 while he was a coach with Los Angles Angles thanks to an article from the Athletic.

The article alleged that Callaway had a history of 'lewd behavior' with women which included inappropriate comments and photos. MLB's investigation must have confirmed those allegations because they issued him a ban for violating MLB's policies on harassment on May 26, 2021.

Callaway was eligible to apply for reinstatement at the end of 2022, but has not done so, which leaves him on the 'lifetime ban' list. However, if he does apply and gets reinstated, another violation would have him permanently banned with no more appeals.

READ MORE: 3 Louisiana Natives Who Had Their Numbers Retired by the Yankees

Others With a 'Lifetime Ban' in Major League Baseball

According to what I could find, there's only two other players/executives currently serving lifetime bans.

One is Hall of Fame Second Baseman Roberto Alomar. Alomar was banned in 2021 for sexual misconduct. At the time, he was serving as a special assistant for the Blue Jays. Following the MLB investigation, he was fired from his job and permanently banned from baseball. However, despite being placed on the 'lifetime ban' list, he was not removed from the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The other is Tucapita Marcano. Marcano was a promising prospect for the San Diego Padres & Pittsburgh Pirates. However, he violated baseball's "Cardinal rule" - you can't bet on baseball. According to reports, Marcano placed over 387 baseball bets between 2022 & 2023.

Astro Front Office Member No Longer Banned But...

I hinted at some of the Astros controversies circa 2016 & 2017 while writing about Chris Correa. That leads us to this. Former Astros Assistant GM Brandon Taubman was on the lifetime ban list for two separate incidents.

He first made the list for making highly inappropriate comments to 3 female media members about domestic abuse - related to their acquisition of Roberto Osuna. Taubman was kept on the banned list for his part in the 2017 Astros' sign-stealing controversy. However, and I didn't know this until the Pete Rose story came out, but Taubman applied for reinstatement and was granted that by MLB in 2021.

However, Taubman is not currently employed by any MLB team. And, much like everyone else that gets reinstated for serious offenses, would be subject to another lifetime ban with no appeal should he get in trouble for any further violations while a MLB employee.