Back in the 2018 season, the Boston Red Sox were accused and found quite guilty of illegally stealing a sign, which has now led to the MLB punishing them by costing them their second-round draft pick of this year. The decision was confirmed by the MLB on Wednesday, Apr. 22.

In that report, it was concluded that J.T. Watkins, who operates as the team’s video replay guy, stood out as the major culprit in the scandal, although the wrongdoing only happened in limited circumstances. Investigations into the matter began at the beginning of this year, with the Red Sox being accused of using those video replays in order to steal signs from catchers to putchers during the 2018 World Series, which they went on to win.

Sources suggest that players visited Boston’s replay room, with information being relayed to team mates on the field, allowing catchers to utilise hand signals to tell pitchers what delivery to throw. Any use of electronic equipment in order to steal signs is outrightly banned by MLB. Alas, while the practice is frowned upon, it’s not explicitly against the rules, so to speak.

It’s a similar story to when the Houston Astros were found guilty of cheating during the 2017 season, although the Red Sox story is much less choreographed and much more limited in scope, too. However, Watkins has since denied the allegations laid out against him. Even though this is the case, he has been suspended without paying through the 2020 season and postseason. Additionally, a ban has been placed on him operating the team’s video replay through 2021.

Mar 10, 2020; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Boston Red Sox right fielder Kevin Pillar (5) slides into second base as he doubles during the fourth inning and St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Tommy Edman (19) looks on at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Former Houston Astro Bench Coach Possibly Involved in Red Sox Scandal

While baseball is currently out of operation, it’s likely that it will return to form in the near future. MLB games are heavily viewed by sports fans, and in the same vein, they’re watched over by sports bettors as well. Once things do return to full action, the likelihood is that gamblers will be backing the Red Sox and other teams. You can do this through a number of online sportsbooks, but there’s a Tipico promo code that can be taken advantage of for that platform in specific. Through that, you’re able to obtain a 100% bonus on top of your initial deposit, which has a maximum value to it of €100.

Can the Red Sox be trusted to provide a fair game, though? Well, perhaps now that certain people have been stopped from operating on the team. As it happens, former Red Sox manager Alex Cora has been marked as not knowing about the sign stealing. Yet, he was quite heavily at the centre of the scandal when it occurred with the Houston Astros. He was previously the Bench Coach for the team in 2017 and was found to be deeply involved in the scandal that occurred then. In fact, he was found to be the one who developed the cheating system.

With this being the case, one can’t ever really be sure if he’s a trustworthy person to have involved in the sport. Because of his involvement in the 2017 scandal and links with the Red Sox more recently, he has also been suspended from baseball throughout the 2020 postseason.