MLB issues ruling on Boston Red Sox's alleged sign stealing
Major League Baseball has released its ruling on the Boston Red Sox for its illegal sign stealing in 2018. The league determined that the primary culprit was not the front office, manager Alex Cora or the players, but was the Red Sox's video replay system operator.
On Wednesday, the league issued its punishment to the team, and the penalties are as followed:
- Red Sox lose 2nd-round pick in 2020;
- Replay operator J.T. Watkins banned through 2020 playoffs;
- He (Watkins) cannot continue same job in 2021;
- Former manager Alex Cora banned through 2020, but only for his conduct during tenure with Houston Astros in 2017.
Following a January report from the Athletic, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred found that Watkins had illegally utilized game feeds in the replay room to help players during games multiple times during the 2018 season. An act deemed less egregious than the Astros' famed 2017 sign-stealing scheme.
The league also did not find that Boston's impermissible conduct continued during the 2018 postseason or 2019 regular season.
Manfred said that the investigation included interviews with 65 witnesses, including 34 current and former Red Sox players, as well as the review of tens of thousands of emails, text messages, video clips and photographs.
Watkins, who according to Manfred's report denied engaging in any wrongdoing, will be suspended without pay for the 2020 regular season and prohibited from serving as a replay room operator for the 2021 regular season and postseason.
In regards to the Red Sox forfeiting the second round pick, Manfred said: “The club must be held accountable, particularly since the club may have benefited from Watkins' conduct.”
It was back in 2017 that Manfred publicly said that he would hold the general manager and manager responsible for any future sign-stealing misconduct. He restated that position again on Jan. 13 in his report, announcing his discipline of the Astros for illegal sign stealing.
But with the Red Sox, the league determined that Watkins simply acted as a rogue employee.
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YESTERDAY
MAY 18, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Zachary Bolduc | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Phillip Danault | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jordan Greenway | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alexandre Carrier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kaiden Guhle | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Beck Malenstyn | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan McLeod | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Owen Power | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nick Suzuki | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Alexandre Texier | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Anderson | - | - | - | |
| Zach Benson | - | - | - | |
| Bowen Byram | - | - | - | |
| Cole Caufield | - | - | - | |
| Kirby Dach | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||