MLB Rumors: Red Sox Sign-Stealing Probe Will Continue into Spring Training

Major League Baseball's sign-stealing investigation into the Boston Red Sox will continue through to the start of the team's spring training, according to the Associated Press' Jimmy Golen.

That could be an important development because MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported the Red Sox preferred for MLB to conclude its inquiry before they officially hired their new manager. 

The Boston Globe's Alex Speier reported Tuesday the team is expected to make bench coach Ron Roenicke the interim manager for 2020.

Boston relieved Alex Cora of his duties in January after MLB laid out the results of its investigation into the Houston Astros. The league determined the Astros used a video room and a center-field camera to steal the catcher's signs from opposing teams.

Cora was a bench coach for the Astros in 2017 and implicated in the scandal.

The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich reported the Red Sox used similar tactics in 2018, Cora's first year as their manager:

"Three people who were with the Red Sox during their 108-win 2018 season told The Athletic that during that regular season, at least some players visited the video replay room during games to learn the sign sequence opponents were using. The replay room is just steps from the home dugout at Fenway Park, through the same doors that lead to the batting cage. Every team’s replay staff travels to road games, making the system viable in other parks as well."

Heyman reported he heard MLB's ongoing examination "will find far less serious transgressions" in comparison to the Astros.

Astros manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow were both suspended for one year and subsequently fired by the team. Houston also received a $5 million fine and lost its first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts.

It's unclear what kind of personnel punishments might be levied against Boston. Cora is already out, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was fired last September.

Still, the scandal has cast a shadow over the franchise. Hiring Roenicke on an interim basis now rather than waiting for MLB's ruling is probably the Sox's best move since their first spring training game is Feb. 22 against the Tampa Bay Rays.