Red Sox sign-stealing investigation concluded by MLB, replay operator JT Watkins suspended

Major League Baseball (MLB) concluded its investigation on the Boston Red Sox sign-stealing scandal on Wednesday. MLB released a statement that noted Red Sox's replay official was to blame for the sign-stealing scandal during their 2018 World Series-winning campaign.

Red Sox sign-stealing: JT Watkins penalty and Red Sox punishment

MLB announced JT Watkins, the replay operator, will be banned through the 2020 playoffs and will also be prohibited from performing his duties during the 2021 season. Boston Red Sox were also stripped their second-round draft pick in 2020. Alex Cora, who was the manager for the Red Sox between 2018 and 2019, was also handed a suspension for the 2020 season. However, Cora was banned by the MLB for his involvement in Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal of 2017.

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Red Sox sign-stealing: Red Sox punishment as noted by Rob Manfred

The statement from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in regards to Alex Cora read, "I do note that Cora did not effectively communicate to Red Sox players the sign-stealing rules that were in place for the 2018 season."

Furthermore, no player or staff member of the Red Sox organisation will be disciplined by the MLB as the executives did not find evidence linking other members of the franchise to Watkins. "I feel bound by the agreement not to impose discipline on Red Sox players who testified truthfully in this matter. Even if I were not so bound, I do not believe that the Red Sox players who suspected that Watkins used game feeds to decode sign sequences should be held responsible for his conduct," Rob Manfred wrote. 

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Red Sox sign-stealing: CEO releases a statement

The Red Sox President & CEO, Sam Kennedy, released a statement in response to the MLB report that found the Boston franchise guilty of sign-stealing. Kennedy stated, "MLB acknowledged the front office’s extensive efforts to communicate and enforce the rules and concluded that Alex Cora, the coaching staff, and most of the players did not engage in, nor were they aware of, any violations. Regardless, these rule violations are unacceptable. We apologize to our fans and Major League Baseball, and accept the Commissioner’s ruling.”

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Astros and Red Sox sign-stealing scandals to haunt MLB

Last year, MLB received a lot of backlash from fans and experts after two of their recent World Series champions were accused of using illegal methods to decode opponent signs during their games. Red Sox won a franchise-record 108 games during the regular season in 2018 and then beat the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games to win their ninth World Series title.

MLB's investigation on Astros sign-stealing scandal determined the franchise used a player-derived system to decode opponent signs during the 2017 season. In January 2020, Astros were fined $5 million and were forced to forfeit four draft picks. Former Astros GM Jeff Luhnow, former manager A.J. Hinch and former assistant GM Brandon Taubman were handed one-year suspensions by the league. Players were not handed any punishment for their co-operation in the investigation. 

Red Sox 4 home runs in a row

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