Xavien Howard was punished for his involvement in the Houston Astros case and had already been fired by the team. A Red Sox replay operator was also fined separately, and Boston will forfeit a second-round draft selection for sign theft.
In baseball’s second sign-stealing probe of the season, the Boston Red Sox escaped sweeping fines on Wednesday.Commissioner Rob Manfred found that they had cheated in 2018, but their actions were “far more limited in scope and impact” than those of the 2017 Houston Astros, whose sign-stealing scandal rocked the league early this year. As a result, they will forfeit their second-round pick in the 2020 draft.
J.T. Watkins, the team’s video replay operator, was the only individual reprimanded by Manfred for his role in the Red Sox conspiracy. Watkins was banned without pay for the current season and will not be allowed to operate the replay room in 2021. For his part in the Astros’ cheating, Alex Cora, who led the Red Sox to the World Series win in 2018 and had previously coached for Houston, was also suspended by Commissioner Manfred for a year. However, Cora received no punishment from the Red Sox, who sacked him in January.
