As the Boston Red Sox await the results from the MLB’s investigation into the 2018 sign-stealing allegations, they may have gotten some good news today.
As the aftershocks of the Houston earthquake continue to be felt throughout baseball, the Red Sox are still waiting on an investigation of their own. Alex Cora and the Sox may have parted ways due to his involvement with the Astros mess but he has some things to answer for in Boston.
The team allegedly used their replay room improperly during the 2018 regular season in order to decode and steal signs. Considering what’s happening right now in Texas, this is nothing in the grand scheme of cheating. Yes, they more than likely did something that is considered a no-no by Rob Manfred and the MLB but it’s nothing when you look at the Houston debacle.
With Manfred and his team still looking into the possible hijinks from 2018, there was a bit of positive news for the Red Sox today. Dan Roche of WBZ-TV reported that at this point he’s not hearing much as far as substance on the MLB’s side of things. At this point, it’s still early in the investigation but any bit of positive news will be gladly accepted by Boston.
Considering how the MLB dropped the hammer down on Houston it’ll be a massive sigh of relief if they can’t find any true evidence. I’m sure there will be a penalty for even having the accusations brought to them but nothing that should rival what we saw on Monday. There’s still plenty of time left and I have zero doubt that Manfred will be as thorough as he possibly can be with his investigation.
As each hour ticks by on the clock, it feels like we’re either learning more about the Houston scandal or hearing from more players around the league. What we’re seeing this week is merely the beginning of the storm. The clouds are rolling in but we have yet to see what is about to come. If Boston can somehow dodge the thunder and lightning then 2020 may not be lost before it’s even begun.
.@LouMerloni: "I would say I'm hearing the same thing" https://t.co/7GMDqHj3gI
— Arcand & Mego (@MFMonWEEI) January 16, 2020
On today’s edition of OMFon WEEI Radio, former Red Sox infielder Lou Merloni echoed Roche’s tweet that he hasn’t heard much as far as evidence of cheating. This again has to be taken with a grain of salt as who knows what the MLB has in their back pocket or has yet to uncover in their case.
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If the rumblings, or lack thereof, are accurate then things could be looking up for the Red Sox ahead of the 2020 season. Now that Chaim Bloom has to add searching for a new manager to his long list of “to-do’s” his winter isn’t going to get any easier. If Manfred isn’t able to find anything damaging against Boston and keeps his penalties reasonable, that could be the break Bloom needs.
This has been quite the offseason but not in the way that Red Sox Nation would have liked. Instead of the usual big-name free agent signings we’ve had to deal with confusing budget mandates and now a sign-stealing scandal. If we can avoid the guillotine at Fenway Park then I think we’ll all let out a sigh of relief and look towards 2020.
With a miserable 2019 now in our rearview mirror, it’s time to get on course for 2020. That all starts with the Red Sox being able to put this mess behind them and getting the right captain for the ship. Hopefully what Roche and Merloni are hearing winds up being the outcome as it could be the best news that Boston gets this offseason.