The Boston Red Sox are being investigated over allegations that they illegally used electronics to steal signs, and it sounds like Major League Baseball is handling the investigation the same way the league carried out its probe of the Houston Astros.
No players were disciplined after it was determined that the Astros had an elaborate sign-stealing scheme in place during their World Series season in 2017, and that’s because the players were granted immunity by MLB for providing information about the system. According to Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the same was offered to Red Sox players.
On another hot topic, MLB commissioner Manfred said he is aiming to complete #RedSox investigation before camps open, as with #Astros probe players were given immunity to get info, there will be new guidelines this season on use of video
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) February 6, 2020
Alex Cora, who was a bench coach in Houston in 2017, was not suspended when the findings were announced from the Houston investigation. However, that is only because MLB was waiting to see if he may have been guilty of additional infractions in Boston. The Red Sox have already fired Cora, which gives you an idea of the direction they believe the investigation is headed.
ESPN’s Buster Olney said recently that MLB is investigating “something specific” with the Red Sox, and there’s a feeling around the league that they were guilty of something.
.@Buster_ESPN on MLB investigation into 2018 #RedSox:
"This is what I've heard from folks with knowledge of the questions that they're asking, that there is a feeling among them that they have something [on the Sox] … that there's something specific that they're working on"
— OMF (@OMFonWEEI) January 30, 2020
The Red Sox have been accused of illegally using the video replay room at Fenway Park to help decode opponents’ signals and relay them to hitters. MLB took steps to prevent teams from being able to engage in practices like that, which seems to prove the league knew about what was going on before the whistle was blown on both the Astros and Red Sox.
While it is widely assumed that the Red Sox are going to face a similar punishment to Houston, JD Martinez said recently that he believes MLB is going to determine there was nothing going on in Boston.
