With the coronavirus pandemic front and center, the sign-stealing scandal that rocked baseball may feel like it's in the rear-view mirror -- but here we go again.
While the Astros' elaborate trash-can scheme gained the most notoriety and resulted in the harshest punishments, the Red Sox and Yankees were both fined in 2017 in relation to an Apple Watch scandal and the improper use of a bullpen phone, respectively.
A judge ruled Friday that the league's letter to the Yankees regarding the findings of that investigation should be unsealed, while the Yankees argue that the letter would cause "significant reputational injury," according to The Athletic's Evan Drellich.
New York reportedly has until noon Monday to supply a "minimally redacted version" of commissioner Rob Manfred's letter.
The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Jed Rakoff is in relation to a lawsuit brought against MLB, the Astros and Red Sox by DraftKings players, who accused the groups of defrauding them because of sign-stealing. Their suit was initially dismissed but they appealed their case to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
The plaintiffs reportedly allege that "the 2017 Press Release falsely suggested that the investigation found that the Yankees had only engaged in a minor technical infraction" but "the investigation had in fact found that the Yankees engaged in a more serious, sign-stealing scheme."
SNY's Andy Martino reported in January exactly what the Yankees were being accused of and what the facts were regarding the investigation.
Martino added on Saturday: "The letter, if unsealed, could be embarrassing for Yankees because it reminds the public they were fined in '17. But if you're waiting on details of an Astros/Red Sox-type scheme, you'll be disappointed."