Rob Manfred Believes Astros Are Only Team Involved in Sign-Stealing Scandal

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said he thinks other teams are not involved in the alleged sign stealing scandal.

One week after reports surfaced that the Astros electronically stole signs in 2017, Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred said he thinks no other teams are involved in the scandal.

Manfred addressed the allegations at the MLB owners' meetings in Arlington on Tuesday. 

"I have no reason to believe it extends beyond the Astros at this point in time," he said, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Last week, The Athletic reported Houston stole signs at home games in 2017 with the use of an outfield camera. The Athletic spoke to four sources on the matter, including pitcher Mike Fiers who played with the Astros that season. Fiers alleged the camera fed video to a monitor near Houston's dugout where someone would bang on a trash can to signal an off-speed pitch to the batter.

The Athletic also reported last week that MLB would contact the Red Sox, manager Alex Cora and newly-hired Mets skipper Carlos Beltran as part of its investigation. Cora was Houston’s bench coach in 2017, while Beltran was a designated hitter and outfielder. MLB reportedly looked into whether or not the Astros also stole signs in 2019.

When asked about the gravity of the allegations against Houston, Manfred said the league is investigating if any rules were violated which affected the outcome of games.

"Any allegations that relate to a rule violation that could affect the outcome of a game or games is the most serious matter," he said. "We have...what is going to be a really, really thorough investigation ongoing."

Sign stealing has a long history in baseball, but the league prohibits clubs from using electronic equipment to capture catchers' signs.