MLB letter to Yankees revealed, cites use of 'illicit technology'
The letter from Major League Baseball to the New York Yankees detailing the league investigation into sign-stealing was obtained by SNY this week, even though the letter has not yet been unsealed.
New York has fought to keep the 2017 letter, which gives the results of an investigation into mutual sign-stealing between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, from going public out of fear it will tarnish the team's reputation.
SNY revealed the letter the Yankees used the video replay room in 2015 and 2016 to decode sign sequences and then pass them to a runner on second base to give to the upcoming batter. The letter also said the team was fined $100,000 for improper use of a dugout phone, which had not been previously reported by any outlet.
The Yankees were not penalized the same as the Red Sox and the Houston Astros, who were penalized for stealing signs in real-time in 2017.
"As the facts of the letter again show, the Yankees were not penalized for sign stealing but were penalized for improper use of the telephone in the replay room," the Yankees said in a statement Tuesday, via ESPN.
"At that point in time, sign stealing was utilized as a competitive tool by numerous teams throughout Major League Baseball and only became illegal after the Commissioner's specific delineation of the rules on September 15, 2017."
It isn't clear yet if there will be any fallout from the letter being released. In the case of the Red Sox and Astros, Houston general manager Jeff Luhnow, manager A.J. Hinch, and Astros-bench-coach-turned-Red-Sox-manager Alex Cora were suspended and dismissed.
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