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MLB still hasn’t concluded whether 2018 Red Sox illegally stole signs

Despite court testimony, league investigation is ongoing

Alex Cora's 2018 Red Sox await a conclusive ruling on allegations they electronically stole signs during their championship season.David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Major League Baseball has not yet reached any conclusions in its investigation into whether the 2018 Red Sox illegally stole signs, two industry sources told the Globe on Saturday.

On Friday, oral arguments in a US District Court case involving MLB, the Red Sox, and the Houston Astros suggested that baseball had finished its investigation.

In answering a question from Judge Jed Rakoff, Red Sox attorney Lauren Moskowitz said the team did not admit to breaking any MLB rules.

“Your Honor, I think that there are distinctions between what the Red Sox believe occurred and what the commissioner found,” Moskowitz said. “And I think that certainly they’re entitled to disagree that that activity happened at the club level.”

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Sources said there was confusion differentiating between the 2017 incident, when the Red Sox were fined for using a Fitbit device to relay signs to the dugout, and what may have happened in 2018.

Rakoff heard arguments as to whether a lawsuit filed by daily fantasy sports players should be dismissed. The Sox, Astros, and MLB are defendants.

Rakoff has said he will decide if the case moves forward by April 15.

MLB’s investigation into allegations about the 2018 Red Sox was once expected to be finished before the start of spring training. But further interviews were required, setting back that timetable.

Baseball was then shut down by the coronavirus pandemic, and league officials have since been busy addressing the ramifications of that situation.


Peter Abraham can be reached at peter.abraham@globe.com. Follow him @PeteAbe.