This is really cool, eh? It seems the Cubs won the World Series in 2016, and then teams started cheating to win the World Series … (watch out, Nats, The Man is coming for you next!). Or maybe teams just really wanted to screw the Dodgers?
On the heels of MLB’s expansive investigation into the Houston Astros electronic sign-stealing scandal from at least their 2017 World Champion season, the league is now also going to have to dig in on the 2018 World Champion Red Sox:
MLB’s sign-stealing controversy broadens: Sources say the Red Sox used video replay room illegally in 2018. Story with @EvanDrellich. https://t.co/C90yxUH2jS
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 7, 2020
The Red Sox were already going to feel some pain from the Astros investigation because their current manager, Alex Cora, was the Astros’ bench coach in 2017. As Jeff Passan notes in his latest, Cora could face discipline even though he’s out of that organization.
But now? This is an entirely new issue, with the Red Sox allegedly having used the video replay room in 2018 to steal catcher signs during the game, and then pass them on to baserunners, who could convey them to batters. It could get really bad for them, since the Red Sox (remember the Apple Watch issue?) were involved in a sign-stealing issue that generated Commissioner Manfred’s 2017 warning about electronic sign-stealing. In other words, it looks possible that the Red Sox did some dirty stuff, were caught, got a STIFF warning from the Commissioner … and then did some more dirty stuff the very next year. If the league doesn’t punish harshly for that, how can anyone take any of this seriously going forward?
We knew all along that the electronic sign-stealing issues of the last few years extended far beyond just the Astros, and it probably goes far beyond the Red Sox, too. We’ve heard the rumors, and The Athletic piece suggests there are possibly other nefarious clubs out there that could not be confirmed. Whether all the bad actors will get busted is an open question (likely a no), but the league can get one thing right if they absolutely hammer the Astros and Red Sox.