Los Angeles Dodgers star Cody Bellinger became one of the most prominent voices to speak about the sign-stealing allegations against the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
The Astros were accused of stealing signs using a camera set up in centerfield and having an employee bang on a trash can to alert batters of impending breaking balls during the 2017 season.
BOSTON RED SOX, 2018 WORLD SERIES CHAMPS, ACCUSED OF SIGN-STEALING DURING SEASON: REPORT
The Red Sox were accused of using the video replay room to steal signs from opposing catchers then relayed them to baserunners who alerted batters of what might be coming during the 2018 season.
The Dodgers are an interesting team in the mix because the Astros and Red Sox beat them in the World Series consecutive years. Bellinger told ESPN that the team was keeping a close eye on the outcome of Major League Baseball’s investigation.
“Honestly, we're curious to see what happens,” Bellinger said. “It sucks, man. We were close, but we did it the right way.”
While MLB officials have not announced any punishments as of yet, sources told SNY on Monday that the league was in the “final stages” of the Astros probe and that discipline could be announced at any time.
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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in November he could impose harsh punishment on the Astros beyond the loss of draft picks should there be sufficient evidence to show they stole signs through illicit means during the 2017 regular season and postseason.
“Any allegation that relates to a rule violation that could affect the outcome of a game or games is the most serious matter — it relates to the integrity of the sport,” he said. “People want the game played consistent with our rules, and feel it's important that we figure out exactly what happened here and take steps to make sure that it doesn't happen in the future by imposing appropriate discipline.”
Manfred fined the Red Sox in 2017 for using an Apple Watch to steal signs from the New York Yankees catchers. Manfred warned all teams that the league would enforce serious sanctions if a violation of that type was confirmed to have happened.
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“I’m not going to speculate on what the appropriate discipline is. That depends on how the facts are established at the end of the investigation,” Manfred said in November. “The general warning that I issued to the clubs, I stand by. It certainly could be all those things. But, my authority under the major-league constitution would be broader than those things, as well.”
Manfred said he believed the investigation will be completed by the start of the 2020 season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.