The Houston Astros have been the butt of every joke recently. That’s because the team clearly cheated to win its 2017 World Series. Even though that World Series title has an asterisk next to it, a ring from that championship is still worth a lot of money. In fact, one is up for sale online right now for thousands of dollars.

Dominating over the past few seasons

The Houston Astros have been to the playoffs four out of the last five seasons. They have also been to the World Series two out of the last three years and have won more than 100 games each of those three seasons. Additionally, they still went to the ALCS in 2018 despite not making the World Series.

The 2017 World Series win seemed pretty magical. The Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, who also won over 100 games that season, in seven games. They were pretty stacked that season too and are still pretty stacked now. The Astros have Jose Altuve who was .346 at the plate in 2017. He hit 24 home runs that year too. They also have Carlos Correa who went .315 at the plate that season and also hit 24 home runs. Additionally, they have George Springer who hit 34 home runs during their World Series-winning season and some other guys like Alex Bregman and Josh Reddick. Bregman actually just hit 41 home runs in 2019.

While the Astros have had some great pitchers over the years, Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, and Gerrit Cole to name a few, their batters have been dominant. However, their batters had an inside scoop on what pitches were coming in 2017.

The Houston Astros cheated in 2017

In January, the MLB suspended Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch for the 2020 season. The organization was also fined $5 million and must forfeit its first and second-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021. This came after a league investigation confirmed that the Astros cheated by using a camera-based, sign-stealing system during the 2017 regular season and 2017 playoffs. They also used it during part of the 2018 regular season, according to ESPN.

The Astros then fired Luhnow and Hinch. 

The investigation began after The Athletic spoke to four sources who were a part of the Astros organization in 2017. This included former pitcher Mike Fiers. The sources said that the Astros stole signs during the home games in 2017 with the help of an outfield camera, according to Sports Illustrated. 

“The Astros’ set-up in 2017 was not overly complicated. A feed from a camera in center field, fixed on the opposing catcher’s signs, was hooked up to a television monitor that was placed on a wall steps from the team’s home dugout at Minute Maid Park, in the tunnel that runs between the dugout and the clubhouse,” The Athletic reported, according to Sports Illustrated. “Team employees and players would watch the screen during the game and try to decode signs—sitting opposite the screen on massage tables in a wide hallway.”

The Athletic

The Astros have since hired Dusty Baker to be the team manager. The Boston Red Sox also fired manager Alex Cora who was the bench coach for the Astros in 2017. The New York Mets additionally fired newly-hired manager Carlos Beltran who played for the Astros in 2017. Players have not been punished, though.

An Astros World Series ring is up for sale

An authentic 2017 Houston Astros World Series ring is up for auction, the Houston Chronicle reported on Monday. The ring is up for auction on GoldinAuctions.com. The minimum bid is $6,000, but the latest bid as of Monday afternoon was at $7,000. However, TMZ reported that the ring could go for anywhere from $20,000 to $60,000.

The ring is a size 12 and belongs to former Astros area scout David Brito, according to the Houston Chronicle. Additionally, the Houston Chronicle reported that he is known for discovering pitcher Framber Valdez. 

The Houston Astros cheated to get their 2017 World Series ring. However, you, or anyone you know, can be a part of the team’s tainted history by purchasing this ring. You will just need to cough up thousands of dollars to get it.