MLB Commissioner Addresses New Cheating Allegations and the Dodgers Come Out Looking Cleaner

MLB writer Evan Drellich has a new book out, and it contains allegations from anonymous Red Sox sources that the Dodgers are, among other things, the “biggest cheaters in the whole [bleeping] industry.” This caught the eyes of some baseball personalities, especially those whose identities are tied up, either due to the radio market they work in or their brother being on the team that cheated to win the World Series, in proving the Astros were merely MLB’s scapegoats in the whole sign-stealing debacle.

Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts was asked about the allegations, and he bluntly said they’re untrue. He also added that LA and several other teams were investigated and MLB didn’t find anything.

On Friday, commissioner Rob Manfred didn’t mention Roberts by name, but he confirmed what Doc said.

“Real-time, in the period of time the book discussed, there were many allegations about different clubs. We took each and every one of those allegations seriously. We don’t announce when we’re investigating — our general rule is, sometimes we get asked directly and tell the truth, but in general, if people aren’t asking about investigations, we don’t announce that we’re doing that.

“I think it has been without fail, if we find something in an investigation, we discipline and we make that discipline public and usually have written some explanation for why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

“I can tell you, with respect to all the allegations that came in that 2017, 2018 time period, they were all investigated and you know who was disciplined. That’s the best I can tell you about that period of time.”

“I think we learned a lot of lessons from what went on in that time period. I think we have far more surveillance in the ballparks to ensure that sign stealing can’t go on. I think that the discipline and public reaction to what happened with Houston also has sort of pushed people back in line, maybe people are more cautious about these things.”

That should put the matter to rest, right? Nah, that’s not how conspiracy theories work. But for those of us looking at things clearly, here’s a summary:

• There’s no reason to believe the Dodgers cheated other than people screaming “Everyone was doing it!” and hoping the screaming will eventually make it true.
• There have been no plausible allegations of specific ways in which the Dodgers cheated.
• The league performed an investigation and found no evidence the Dodgers cheated.

Darn. I guess those Houston radio personalities and/or the siblings of the cheaters will have to go back to the drawing board. Or double down, as people like them usually do.

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