MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday promised to "take every possible step" to protect Fiers, who revealed to The Athletic in November that the Atsros were cheating.

"I want to be really clear about this: Mike, who I do not know at all, did the industry a service," Manfred said Tuesday. "I do believe that we will be a better institution when we emerge at the end of this episode, and without a Mike Fiers, we probably would have had a very difficult time cleaning this up. It would have taken longer. ... I have a real problem with anyone that suggests Mike did anything other than the right thing."
In its investigation, MLB found that the 2017 Astros used a live feed from a center-field camera to decipher the opposing catchers' signs in real time and deployed a system that involved banging on a trash can to alert their hitters of upcoming pitches.
"I've dealt with a lot in my life," Fiers told The Athletic on Wednesday. "I've dealt with people hating me before. I've dealt with a lot of life problems. It is what it is. And if someone's going to retaliate then by hitting me with a pitch, it's not a big deal."