Back on February 16, commissioner Rob Manfred said that he hoped the league’s investigation into whether or not the Red Sox improperly used video replay technology to steal opponents’ signs would be concluded in two weeks’ time. That loose deadline has now passed, and it is still unclear as to when the league will report its findings and issue penalties (if any) to any Red Sox personnel. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, a decision from the league isn’t expected to come this week, but “the plan is before the regular season.”
For comparison’s sake, the original Athletic piece from Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich about the Astros’ sign-stealing activities was published on November 12, and Major League Baseball announced its disciplinary actions against the Astros almost exactly two months’ later, on January 13. The Rosenthal/Drellich report about the Red Sox was released on January 7, so assuming a general two-month window for such league investigations, it doesn’t seem outwardly unusual that MLB has yet to make an announcement as we hit March 1.
Circumstances could dictate a longer investigation, however. Given that the league was so roundly criticized for the perceived lightness of its discipline towards the Astros, it isn’t unexpected that MLB would take a more measured approach in exploring any possible violation the Red Sox may have committed. (Not that this would necessarily mean a bigger penalty — Sherman writes that the general feeling is that Boston’s “scheme was not as systemic or widespread as that of the Astros, thus, the penalties are not expected to be as severe.”) Manfred told reporters two weeks ago that the Red Sox investigation involved “there have been a couple of developments…that slowed us down” and required secondary interviews with some involved parties.
Interestingly, the Dodgers may have received some slight insight into the investigation when the club was preparing to acquire Mookie Betts from the Sox. Los Angeles “asked MLB if it should be concerned about acquiring Betts and were assured not to worry,” Sherman reports. Red Sox players aren’t subject to possible suspensions as per the outcome of the investigation, since players were given immunity so they could feel free to openly discuss their knowledge of any illegal goings-on inside the clubhouse and video room.
Witch hunt.
says the team that very recently employed Alex Cora
MLB needs to AT LEAST get a baseline approach on how to handle future incidents, perhaps a tier system based on the integrated level of cheating. Otherwise, next time, fans might stop showing up to games. And, otherwise, what the hell was all of this for? Is it simply going to be case-by-case in the future? Okay. Can we at least have, in writing, the approach MLB plans to take with future investigations? Can we have, in writing, what constitutes a level of cheating worthy of punishment? Even if it is some kind of vague terminology, we need something. We understand it is harder to come up with some kind concrete description for punishment when it involves an entire (or partial) team and/or organization. But the fans deserve something. And they deserve a voice.
If no steps are taken towards codifying some kind of punishment for future indiscretions, I will be one of the individuals demanding player punishments and, if applicable, stripped titles.
I agree with everything you’ve said here, including the irrational pitchfork retaliatory fan response. With anything you’ve mentioned, we may as well reevaluate why we remain interested anyway.
Future investigation and how matters are handled going forward need to be negotiated with the MLBPA. Article really didn’t tell us anything new. What would be nice to hear is if the reason for the delay got leaked out. The length of the first investigation should have no bearing on this or future ones. Given the same player immunity is in place, fans won’t be happy again if cheating is confirmed regardless of the extent. My guess like others have previously said is whatever Boston is found to have done, other clubs also did the same thing and if they give out penalties, it could strengthen the gambling lawsuits that are now being filed. This nightmare could get far worse if testimony is taken.
They can’t punish players. Its not in the CBA and they have not even asked the players union to sign off on players being punished.
Theyve implictly agreed to it. Dont be trash.
Looking at the numbers: If the Red Sox stole/decoded signs in 2018, it did not help them win the World Series. During the regular season, they were 108-54 for a winning percentage of 0.667. During the postseason, when it was impossible to steal or decode signs, they were 11-3 for a winning percentage of 0.786. Therefore, the 2018 Red Sox were ACTUALLY BETTER without sign stealing/decoding. People may say that sign stealing/decoding leads to higher team BA/OBP/SLG/OPS etc. However, wins is the only stat that matters because you only benefit from cheating if you win. If you cheat and lose, the cheating did not amount to anything.
People may say that sign stealing/decoding helped the Red Sox gain home field advantage in the 2018 postseason. That also does not matter as the Red Sox were 4-2 at home and 7-1 on the road in the 2018 postseason. The Red Sox were actually better on the road.
Yes, the Red Sox may have broken some rules in the 2018 regular season, but the numbers say it did not lead to more wins or help them win the World Series.
Sorry but that is some of the dumbest logic ever. You are wrong on so many levels I’m not sure where to start.
Please share your logic Darryl Rose. I don’t condone breaking rules if that is what you think.
You make an idiotic argument It’s like saying DUI isn’t wrong unless an accident happens …………… or robbing a store isn’t a crime if there was no money to take.. If the Red Sox cheated they should be punished, regardless of how they benefited..
morkisthatu: I agree that if the Red Sox broke the rules they should be punished. However, I am pointing out what the numbers show regarding the effect of the cheating.
A sample size of 14 games is large enough to prove exactly nothing
It is significant enough for me. Everyone will have their own opinion.
Carter Kieboom hit .128/.209/.282 for a 24 OPS+ in 11 games last year. Should the Nats cut him? Or should they watch him for another 3 games and then make a decision?
Mtemple1: I see what you are saying. On the other hand, everyone seems to be comfortable with sample sizes of 5 (NLDS, ALDS) and 7 (NLCS, ALCS, World Series). A sample size of 14 is twice that. If your team wins the World Series, will you celebrate or be unconvinced because of the sample size?
Not agreeing or disagreeing but your example is 9x less than the original example. 1 batter over 14 games versus a whole lineup for 14 games. 9×14 = 126 games worth of 1 players ABs, is that a good sample size?
A witch hunt that found the witch. Cora thinks its part of the game to cheat, unpopular but his beliefs.
Exactly. If The Sox get an UNFAIR penalty I suggest John Henry remove the team from MLB play for the 2020 season since he’s already cast it off as a “bridge” year
Silly bloated narcissist
Almost certainly Boston did everything the Astros did, including wearable devices. Cora brought the system with him. Will Manfred attempt to sweep it under the rug like he did with the Astros for several years until the whistle blowers exposed the cover up?
Seriously? What a dumb comment. Boston should have its WS title stripped.
This comment was directed towards Boston fans.
Fox. Wait until everything comes out before suggesting penalties. I’ve already suggested Astros players return their rings on national TV. I also said that based on the Sox players’ comments before the report is published, either what they allegedly did is far less than the Astros schemes or they as a group are the stupidest athletes ever to put on a uniform.
Thanks for shooting your mouth off…Even Boston toddlers were aware of your intentions. Feeling so righteous now?.
I’m a Sox Fan deep in Dodger Blue Land . Win the WS legitimately don’t press for the Commish to win one for you. We traded Mookie and David to you for practically nothing–let’s see what a difference it makes. Good luck. This will be your year.
As I often agree with Looie, once again, you’re spot on with this comment. Wait until the investigation details come out….it’ll be lighter penalties for the Sox than the Asteriks. That said…to me, the most meaningful action Manfred can take is to shut down the video replay rooms altogether. Replay reviews need to be made by the manager’s eyes from the dugout, period. Put the game back in place without this unnecessary in-game technology. One, it will speed up the game (which they claim they want….I don’t care about that), and two, it will greatly reduce the likelihood that this form of technology-driven cheating will occur again.
Agreed Giantsphan and appreciate the kind words. Scary though that there’s someone out there with a similar mind as myself. Hope you’re on the West Coast or at least not near me. I luve in NY and for the first time realize the island is actually not that long…
Looie, I’m in SF. A long way from your Long/ Short Island 🙂
One great mind on each coast….we got it covered!!! Haha
Used to go to Sam Wo’s for food late at night and watch the owner Edsel Ford abuse everyone, especially those who had too much to drink. Food was nothing special but the show was locally famous. He’s since passed but if you never heard of him and the place, look it up.
Manfred needs to punish himself for his terrible work as the commissioner. At 11 million a year Rob Manfred is grossly overpaid for his bad decisions. Do MLB a favor and resign Rob.
Be nicer to see most of that bloated salary show up on minor leaguers’ paychecks instead of some shady lawyer.
The owners are Manfred’s employer and they set the rules he is allowed to play by. He gave the max penalty to the teams he was allowed. He was not allowed by labor law to do anything to the players so that is on the government. You are complaining about the wrong person in this situation.
Red Sox – CHEATERS. Caught twice now. How many times is too many? Time to clean house – internally and by MLB.
Who made you judge and jury? Nothing regarding the second allegation has been confirmed. Wait before judging.
It’s taken MLB the better part of two months now to find……..nothing? More than happy to eat crow if that’s how things turn out. I am not at all worried about that. I have faith in the system.
Raw, even if there is fire behind the smoke, I’m still of the believe the league will bury things unless they simply can’t. Delay I believe is they want to verify how many other clubs did similar things to what Boston may have done. If it’s a lot, the blame belongs on the league. If it’s not widespread and it violates the written 2017 letter, then Boston deserves punishment. By the way the players have spoken, it sounds like it’s not much of anything. I
I am on board, let’s get the witch!!!
Pathetic comment.
Might be true if the Red Sox weren’t the team in 2016 that initiated the league warning teams to begin with. Fact is that cheated. Sign stealing itself without equipment and without electronics is in every game but this is disgraceful
just as long as its comprehensive and ties up all the loose ends unlike the Astros one (and no, im not talking about player punishments)
Yankees suck
Geez no need to hate just cuz your a pirate fan
For the record, the only team Pirates “fans” hate is the Pirates.
Not true. It takes passion and blind loyalty to be a Pirate fan. I know because I’ve been one for 50 years and 3 WS titles (been a long time since the last one). We are family!
Nothing new. Just another story about nothing. Updated nothingness about nothing. This just in! Nothing. And now … nothing. And further nothingness about nothing will follow the nothing report by the nothing league of nothingness. But wait! There’s not more. Just nothing. And so it doesn’t go. To nothing and beyond! Enough of this nothingness.
The go away and stfu
No one wants you here nor tells you to comment
It’s free and not enough for you. Go pay someone to meet your standards or do your own research for the hundreds of writers they cover weekly
I agree no one should complain when it’s free. The athletic charges for crying out loud. Make your money advertising like everybody else
Why pay for the Athletic and why criticize Why when he’s right? Just because the site overall is top notch, does that mean it’s perfect? Sometimes improvements come from criticism and like a prior article that last week had a headline that appeared to many afterwards as clickbait (the A’s and Betts), it’s perfectly right to question what was added to the evolving story. Just my take.
We get complaints about this site’s content every day of every week. Just like Wayhazy. It’s pathetic and sickening. I am so sick and tired of the complaints from people like Wayhazy who couldn’t produce this site if their lives depended on it. Just STFU already. You bore everyone with your complaints. STFU. Jesus.
Mo, constructive criticism can help one do even better. Sometimes one doesn’t even realize others don’t agree without indicating so. To stay quiet could produce more and more “updates” with nothing to add. Maybe they just need to better label the headings. After the A’s and Betts story, Steve indicated the intent to mislead was not there. It was in my view a great exchange so maybe it’s not always best to STFU.
Not guilty.
Red Sox cheated, Astros cheated, MLB is weak with any discipline and Manfred is a total joke.
Your opinion is based on nothing that Red Sox cheated, other than Boston jealousy. Whatever helps you sleep at night.
CBD oil from the local gas station helps me.
Just remember if you have to get it from the pump it’s not cbd…
And the Astros didn’t cheat either, did they dennyd? I don’t know if the Sox cheated or if they didn’t, but I am sure they will be announced as not guilty either way. MLB cannot punish them worse than the Astros can they? If there is another light punishment, fans will go crazy again. MLB almost has to find that the Sox didn’t do anything, truth notwithstanding.
Actually Dennyd never said they didn’t cheat. He just called out a false proclaimer like you think you’re doing.
Hows that logic work? Astros cheated, so since they had the same manager, he IN HIS FIRST SEASON starts cheating. Right off the bat, he must have said starting today I want full cheat mode by everyone. Yeah, that makes sense.
My point to other post. We know NOTHING right now. If you are assuming Red Sox are guilty, then obviously your judgement is tainted. You have bias because of some reason.
They cheated.
Jealous of what having Alex Cora screw the Red Sox over?
So according to you because Manfred under punished the Astros he should now over punish the Sox to compensate even though by all accounts any of their actions paled in comparison to Houston’s??
Do you have trouble reading Randy Red Sox? Because that is not at all what I said.
Refer to the Red Sox and Astros as the Ass Sox lol
This site is really enraptured with your adolescent humor.
Plot twist…Fenway is one big trash can
No that’s your mother
Your mother has a delightful disposition. [edited]
I’m surprised no one has corelated the Dombrowski termination with the investigation. Not saying they are related, but DD’s termination was at best strange. And no, I simply don’t buy into that “getting under the tax” silliness; the tax may not even be there after the next CBA.
The timing is a bit off, but Henry/Warner are among the most influential owners in the sport (actually, they’re the de facto commissioners, along with others like Reisendorf). If there was talk of a forthcoming investigation……..
His firing-while surprising, did make sense if you look at his last two stops as GM/head of BB ops. Aggressive acquisitions to make team much better in short term but not sustainable. Hence, it makes sense considering how it went in Miami and Detroit.
I was thinking that as well. In Houston Nolan and Reid Ryan left suddenly and Crans stuck his lucky sperm in the front office. Houston lost Nolan Ryan THREE times. Three owners, three different decades.
I’ve previously questioned on this board the timing of both firings as either ownership learned then or Ryan and/or DD learned then and wanted to fire the managers then and got canned for disagreeing with ownership. Especially the Ryan timing. Remember DD also came to Boston in August. Their silence since might be important too. They likely each negotiated a settlement under confidentiality agreements that prevent them from talking now.
Dombrowski made deals that set the Red Sox franchise back 5-7 years talent wise and paid be price with his job
More factless supposition quoting factless supposition.
click bait at this point. Nothing to see.
First it was chicken and beer, now this….
They alllllllll cheat
All = Boston teams
Grow up
Your mother cheated on your father
Title town baby
Your comment is deflating!
Not all but it is naive to think it was only Boston and Houston doing it. To say oh maybe also NYY with Beltran is a bit lazy.
Rickeo – no they don’t all cheat idiot!
The Dodgers were fine in taking Betts…..I’m just sayin’
Read article….says before deal they ask MLB should they be concerned about his involvement
Whole witch-hunt is about the big money Yankees and Dodgers being unable to win a World Series. Whiny players and whiny fans. Big payroll advantage every single year but whine, whine, whine. Continued failure hopefully.
Red Sox had the highest payroll for 3 years
Wow, that’s some expensive equipment! No wonder nobody realized it until now
Yanks payroll is 7/8 in baseball. Get your facts right before speaking
If we learned anything from the Astros debacle it’s that Manfred doesn’t have the stones to actually lead Baseball to a better place. There will likely be more toothless fines, loss of draft picks that teams with money can shrug off, and of course, absolutely no punishment for the actual cheaters. Sad state of affairs……
Manfred did a great job and baseball is doing better now than it has in almost 20 years
Baseball was better in the 80’s. This sucks…….oh and so did the Yankees in the 80’s
The Yankees actually won the most games in the 80’s
Except in October.
The hold up is because the New Black Sox cheated with hiiq Trashtro guy manager.
Blasphemy!!!
Thou shalt not speaketh that way of the cathedral of Boston!!
Next up is investigating accusations about the dodgers and Yankees doing the same. Oh wait, they want to save face so they won’t investigate either so the players, fans and other whining don’t look even more dumb.
Wow! Cool straw man.
Huh? Was that even English?
Obviously, reports can be wrong, but if the reports of actions by the Red Sox (relative to what the Astros did) are true, any attempt to give Boston penalties in even the general ballpark of what the Astros got would be atrocious. The clear and vital distinction is that the Astros used technology in the act of obtaining signs, which is what MLB very clearly did not want teams to do. The Red Sox reportedly used technology to help instruct on HOW to steal signs, but not in the act of obtaining signs. If MLB sees that as a violation, fair enough, but it is clearly a significantly lesser violation. If Boston is made to pay for issues with the punishments levied on the Astros, that would be a gross injustice…I have faith that the league office is wiser and fairer than that.
But you’re forgetting the Red Sox would be repeat offenders… not saying the punishment will be as severe, just that if guilty it might be more severe than you expect.
That is some blind faith right there. Manfred didn’t punish the players when fairness clearly calls for action. In his wisdom Manfred botched his handling of this scandal from the get go. Is that the “wiser” you are putting your faith in?
There has been NO wisdom or fairness exhibited by the league office. Open your eyes.
The real tragedy will be if MLB leaves this in the court of public opinion. Be clear about what you find or don’t find. If Boston stole second base sign sequence with video of course they are wrong and it likely had minimal impact since every JV team prepares for second base espionage. If they prove more, punish more, if you don’t be clear that was it, not that there won’t be haters who still can’t accept it.
Give the first couple players to talk immunity and ban anyone else after. Kenny227, you make no sense with your Yankees / Dodgers BS. Just accept your team may have cheated – it hasn’t even been confirmed and you’re already looking for an scapegoat!
Even if the Red Sox cheated, if it’s less severe than what the Astros did, they absolutely cannot discipline any of the players because they didn’t discipline any Astros. MLB can’t take any of the public criticism of their bungling of the Astros situation into account.
They chose being soft, now they have to stick to it. Anything less would be unfair to the Red Sox. And I say this as a Mets fan with no allegiance to either team.
Sorry but that is some of the dumbest logic ever. You are wrong on so many levels I’m not sure where to start.
Didn’t I just read this?
You mean to write this elsewhere? Having trouble with the Reply function?
its time all players caught cheating be banned for life no matter what team they are on. Asstros case needs to reopened and the players union needs to see that the cheaters are banned no matter how big of stars they are.
because they don’t have anything on the red sox,with houston everyone knew they were guilty before the report was complete. it was likely someone from houston who is trying to point a finger at boston.
Boston and Astros are trash. Nothing going change that and I can say it all I want. David Ortiz used PEDs and Verdugo was involved with sexual assault and no report will ever change
what happened
Dodgers and Yankees are trash and hypocrites and nothing is ever going to change what happened.
Manny Ramirez cheated with the Indians. So did fatolo Colon. Indians cheat. Strip them of their titles. Oh wait hahaha. Loser city.
there’s no proof that Ortiz used PED and Verdugo was cleared in any wrongdoing by the police last i heard
He failed a test and was cited in the Mitchell Report. His age 40 season is prima facie evidence of PED use to anyone with any intellectual honesty whatsoever. You don’t lead the league in doubles when you are fat, 40 and have the worst feet in baseball. You just don’t. Not without PED’s. Doubles require cardio and speed. Don’t get that fat, 40 and with horrendous feet. Ditto for leading in slg, RBI’s and OPS. What a complete sham. What a fraud.
I don’t trust numbers is not proof, gotta come with something better than that to be taken seriously and I’m not a big Big Papi defender. That was just too weak of an argument.
Hard to believe that a team with Cora in control wouldn’t have cheated now. The penalty for the Sox will be minimal because nobody rated them out. The whole thing is a joke, and bad for the game. Can’t believe they find both teams cheating two years in a row.
One way for people who want to punish teams and players for cheating is to stop attending games and stop watching them however they are broadcast.
That would have a lot more impact than all this silly nattering I have been seeing in threads like this.
The problem is a lot (obviously not all) of the fans of these teams justify/deny wrong doing so they aren’t going to boycott. Just read the comments above from Red Sox fans if my point needs any proof.
I think in Boston cheating makes you more beloved. look at Papi and their football team.
So you thought that nattering about our nattering would change everything?
No way the team of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez would cheat in the same city as Tom Brady and Bill Belicheat.
Mookie having by far his career year in 2018 is just a coincidence.
Trout is asking for the MVP, dodgers now asking for 2 world series titles to be taken.
2018 was his best year but not much better than 2016 and not out of line with his last 5 years. He is just a great player.
His WAR was 10.9 in 2018. It was 6.4 and 6.8 before and after. Be honest. Not close.
And 2016? Higher than 2017 and 2019. His WAR over the last 5 seasons ranks where? This isn’t Brady Anderson all of a sudden hitting 40 HRs or Urshela all of a sudden hitting. Those aren’t close, Mookie being a stud is year in and year out even in down years.
This is all such a joke. You mean to tell me these were the only two teams that did anything illegal? Why does every catcher in the league go thru a series of signs when there’s no one on base?! Manfred wants this all to die. No chance he goes after anyone else
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if a player or two admitted a previous team also did this. That’s why the Astros punishment was so light. They realize this is too widespread to just go around banning anybody who has been a part of a system like these. You can’t bury one team when there’s more than likely a handful who could be given the same treatment.
“Stop it. Enough. It’s over. Deal with it. Get over it. They cheat. Everyone cheats. I steal from my employer to pay for the prostitutes I cheat on my wife with, it’s fine. Everyone does it.”
I can think of no motivation for good people to defend cheaters.
The motivation for projection, however, is clear.
Just contract the team before they can embarrass the entire rest of the sport again.
Manfred would have released the findings by now if he wasn’t scared to death of the backlash. With the Astros debacle fans are calling for his job. Another SUPER lenient verdict and the fan base of the sport will want his HEAD on a platter. I think the outcry will cause Manfred to step down in the coming months.
All I’m saying is Betts had his best year when Cora became manager. Now, obviously, Mookie is a great player regardless. Still, he may never sniff that high of a BA again.
Mookie’s WAR in 2018 was 10.9. In 2017 it was 6.4. In 2019 it was 6.8. It does stand out.
Cora was still manager in 2019. 2016 WAR? How selective.
Yankees suck
Understandably the MLB would say Mookie is ok to trade for because why would the MLB punish the players for the Sox and not the Asstros? The players obviously will be immune again. The people in line for their hand slaps are the management team. I just hope there isn’t any riffs with Mooks and Price in the club house because both can contribute to LA this year. I know JT said there isn’t any issues but nothing released yet.
Direct words from Carlos Beltran when he arrived in Houston….. “you all are way be behind and need to be caught up with others teams” when it has to do with sign stealing.
What team was he on before the Astros? That would be the New York Yankees for 2 1/2 years and the Texan Rangers for a 1/2 of season.
The reason the Red Sox investigation is still on going is because what they were “supposably doing” has been going on elsewhere throughout the league and is not even close to anything that the Astros were doing.
Be smart and reflect back to Cora’s statement during the London Series vs Yankees referring to Beltran as their biggest off season acquisition and understand what he was stating…. Yankees were doing the same thing….. translation…… What is taking so long to rule on the Red Sox is MLB realization that what to do now that they know it was more widespread.
Reference please on that quote. If there is one I’m guessing the source is someone as reliable as Cooperdooper7.
No surprise coming from a Sox fan.
The quote Came from Ken Rosenthahl Live on the High Heat show with Chris Russo.
It was also confirmed/ echoed by John Smoltz and Dan Pleasac during a roundtable with Heyman and Verducci.
Also was kind of funny how when Smoltz brought it up Yankee Homer Heyman got real quiet for next couple minutes… it was needless to say “classic’.!
So Mo4ever…. if you want you can search the archives on Sirius/XM Radio app… it may still be on there …. it was a couple of weeks ago when Verducci had just done the AJ Hinch interviews.
Also Mo4ever…. I will Assume that you are a Yankees fan…. You honestly believe your team is guiltless in all this BS? I am a Red Sox fan and I think the Yankees were wronged in 17 by Houston, but people forget, so were the Red Sox in the ALDS. Chris Sale was lit up like a christmas tree in game 1 in the 1st inning (i believe he gave up two Homers to Altuve and Correa on high Fastballs in the 98 MPH area…. both pulled to left field??? Yet when he pitched in relief in game (in Boston) 4 he gave up 1 hit in 4 + innings..
Also, I will give the benefit of the doubt, but how the heck did Gio Urshella all of sudden become an Offenive force after mediocre at best performances with the Indians all those years… very curious?? Again I hope he just figured things out sort of the way JD Martinez did… I guess we will see..
It’s simple ban all technology in the dugouts period. No electronics allowed in the dugouts. That way if you are going to steal signs you gotta do it honestly by watching the game as a manager or player. If you think you stole something use hand signals to relay that information. It’s been done that way for eternity and it’s accepted as how business is done by the baseball community.
Players didn’t receive immunity so they could feel free to testify, they received immunity because there is no agreement with the MLBPA about penalizing players for breaking rules put in place since the 2017 Sign Stealing saga with Astros, Red Sox, and Yankees.
The bottom line is players cannot be penalized right now.
As of today there is still no agreement with the MLBPA about stealing signs electronically, so players are not allowed to be penalized at all. This is not because MLB, its because of labor laws in regards to collectively bargained employment.
The player’s union and MLB have to come to an agreement about employment conditions for players including rules and penalties for breaking rules in advance before players can be penalized.
I’m thinking Manfred may be waiting until right before the season starts to announce the Red Sox investigation findings. The regular season starting would then take the focus off him.
Penalties are a joke until there is an investigation of the Yankees. Astros were World Champions in 2017. Rest of baseball can cry a river. Hate us we don’t care. Astros 2020.
The fair thing to do would be to investigate the whole league and see what everyone was doing. This could easily be done by anonymous survey on the internet that players and coaches could do. It could have been done by now. That would be the transparency the comissioner keeps talking about. Instead they have investigated two teams who are being dragged through the mud.
Can we just have the results now, please.
Hell, I’d be OK with MLB giving us a report of what happened, and holding back on telling us the penalties until they’re ready. Issuing a verdict and assessing penalties don’t have to happen at the same time. And given the backlash against the soft penalties of the Astros, it might be a bad idea. Why not publish the findings, and then gauge public sentiment?