New York Yankees: Gary Sanchez takes shot at Jose Altuve

With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training on Wednesday, it was only a matter of time before New York Yankees players opened up about the cheating scandal that plagued the offseason.

Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez had a few select words, tailored explicitly towards Jose Altuve and his ALCS-winning home run and refusal to take off his shirt as he approached home plate.

Altuve has been the focal point for a buzzer-driven narrative that has sparked concern. Beyond having a camera in center field to decipher pitch signs, having a buzzer to indicate off-speed balls takes things to a different level.

Clearly, Sanchez, who struggled during the postseason after suffering another groin injury earlier on in the season, was frustrated at the Astros and Altuve for their transgressions.

Moving forward, the game of baseball should be restored to its former self, void of cheating and coaches who condone this type of disrespect.

The past few days have resulted in Yankee players speaking out on the matter. Chad Green, CC Sabathia, and even the quiet Masahiro Tanaka expressed their displeasure.

“I think that’s your initial reaction,” Green said Friday afternoon, via Newsday. “I think anybody would be upset about it a little bit. But you have to move forward. It’s in the past.”

“It’s obviously going to be tough, just knowing what could have been in ’17,” Green said. “But that’s a tough game to play — what could have been, what should have happened, stuff like that . . . We haven’t honestly talked about it too much. I’ve just been around [the complex] for a few days. I think everybody’s kind of moving forward. It’s kind of in the past, for the most part. But I’m sure the conversation’s going to be brought up at some point.”

Expect to see more players express their opinions in the coming days.