Cubs' Kris Bryant Says Astros Were 'Absolutely Not' Only MLB Team Stealing Signs

The Houston Astros got caught illegally stealing their opponents signs, but Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant does not believe they were the only ones cheating. 

USA Today's Bob Nightengale asked Bryant a point-blank question on the topic during a lengthy interview published on Thursday. 

"No," Bryant responded. "Absolutely not. I definitely think others were. I don't know if other teams were doing it that same way, but people are always trying to find a way for that competitive advantage. Pitchers have things in their gloves. Batters groove their bats. People have done that since the beginning of the game."

Bryant's teammate Anthony Rizzo poked fun at the Astros while mic'd up during the Cubs' spring training game on Monday: 

On Jan. 13, MLB revealed its official findings from an investigation into the Astros that was sparked when former Houston and current Oakland Athletics pitcher Mike Fiers told Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich of The Athletic that his former team had used in-game technology to illegally steal opponents' signs through their 2017 World Series-winning campaign. 

The league's investigation found that the Astros indeed used a camera in the outfield and other technology to run in-game sign-stealing schemes throughout 2017 and for at least parts of 2018. There was no evidence that Houston cheated last season, however. 

Commissioner Rob Manfred punished the Astros with a $5 million fine plus the loss of first- and second-round draft picks for 2020 and 2021. The team's then-manager AJ Hinch and then-general manager Jeffrey Luhnow were each handed one-year unpaid suspensions by MLB. The Astros subsequently fired them.