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Major League Baseball has fined the Boston Red Sox an undisclosed amount for "sending electronic communications from their video replay room to an athletic trainer in the dugout" in an effort to steal signs from the opposing team, commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday.
The ruling came a month after the New York Yankees filed a complaint against the team, triggering an investigation by MLB. Yankees alleged that the Red Sox used an Apple Watch to steal their catcher’s signs.
The Red Sox quickly filed a counterclaim that the Yankees were using their YES television network to steal signs. Although investigations into that claim produced "insufficient evidence,” the Yankees were fined by the league for improper use of the dugout phone prior to the season.
Manfred noted in the ruling that "all 30 clubs have been notified that future violations of this type will be subject to more serious sanctions, including the possible loss of draft picks."
Sign stealing is not prohibited by the MLB, but it is against the rules to use electronic means to communicate information regarding stolen signs.
SOURCE: ESPN