Marwin Gonzalez becomes 1st hitter to apologize for Astros' scheme

Minnesota Twins utility man Marwin Gonzalez became the first position player to apologize for the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scheme while speaking with the media on Tuesday.

"I'm remorseful for everything that happened in 2017, for everything that we did as a group, and for the players that were affected directly by us doing this," Gonzalez said.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Gonzalez plans to speak with current teammates about the scandal soon.

"Marwin has a desire to talk to his teammates in one way, shape or form," Baldelli said, according to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. "Either way, he's a guy who is very sensitive to his teammates. ... We are going to support him through the process and help him in every possible way."

Gonzalez was a key contributor for the World Series champion Astros in 2017 as he put together a career-best season by slashing .303/.377/.530 with 23 home runs and 90 RBIs. He signed a two-year, $21-million contract with the Twins prior to the 2019 season.

This offseason, MLB released a report that found Houston had illegally stolen signs throughout the 2017 regular season and playoffs and relayed them to hitters using trash cans.

In January, former Astros starter Dallas Keuchel, who's now with the Chicago White Sox, spoke up to apologize for the club's actions. Fellow hurler Charlie Morton, who now plays for the Tampa Bay Rays, recently said he regrets "not doing more" to stop the scheme.

So far, no other player from Houston's offense has offered a public apology regarding the scandal and no player is expected to face league discipline. Instead, general manager Jeff Luhnow and skipper AJ Hinch received one-year suspensions from MLB and were subsequently fired by Astros owner Jim Crane.