Yankees are affriad public release of sign-stealing letter will significantly impact reputation

New York Yankees, Aaron Boone
Oct 17, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) answers questions from media during a press conference before game four of the 2019 ALCS playoff baseball series against the Houston Astros at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

The latest saga of sign-stealing has found its way to the New York Yankees after months of silence regarding the teams involvement in the cheating scandal. The Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox have already been disciplined for their actions against the game and its ethics. The Yankees, on the other hand, are still in the midst of a legal review that could damage their reputation significantly.

According to The Athletic, a judge ruled Friday that an investigation to the Yankees in 2017 should be unsealed, making it public information.

The Yankees have been tied to some shady stuff in the past, including a fine for an undisclosed amount that was dealt for improper use of a bullpen phone.

Manfred stated in 2017 regarding the Yankees: “Had violated a rule governing the use of the dugout phone,” but that the “substance of the communications [over the phone] was not a violation.”

The unsealing of this letter would provide public information on the topic, which of the Yankees are desperately trying to keep quiet. They have managed to avoid bad publicity up to this point, and if they can keep this document sealed, they can further avoid any significant reputation dismemberment.

Yankees lawyer Jonathan Schiller wrote, per The Athletic, “there is no justification for public disclosure of the letter. The plaintiff has no case anymore, and the court held that what MLB wrote in confidence was irrelevant to the court’s dismissal of the plaintiff’s case. Under established law, this supports the Yankees’ right to confidentiality required by the Commissioner of Baseball.”

“It is the Yankees’ understanding that the press release about the investigation reflects the Commissioner’s final determinations,” Schiller said. “Those determinations were that the Yankees had committed a technical violation of MLB’s rules by misusing the dugout phone. The Yankees were not found to have violated any rule involving sign stealing. The press release is accurate and states MLB’s conclusions.”

Houston Astros players have already begun trolling the Yankees due to their suspected involvement in a cheating scandal. Of course, tying in other teams and players will take some of the pressure away from Houston, who have suffered through plenty of public harassment of the past few months.