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Manfred: 'No reason to believe' sign-stealing scandal goes beyond Astros

Rob Tringali / Major League Baseball / Getty

Major League Baseball's investigation into the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal remains underway but no other teams are currently under suspicion, commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters Tuesday.

"Right now, we are focused on the information that we have with respect to the Astros," Manfred said at the owners meetings in Arlington, Texas, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. "I'm not going to speculate on whether other people are going to be involved.

"We'll deal with that if it happens, but I'm not going to speculate about that. I have no reason to believe it extends beyond the Astros at this point in time."

The league opened an investigation into the 2017 World Series champion Astros last week after reports surfaced that the team used electronic equipment to steal opponents' pitching signs.

The Astros are accused of observing opposing batteries using a camera in the outfield and then relaying signs to batters by banging on garbage cans in the dugout.

Initially, Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and New York Mets skipper Carlos Beltran were also under investigation. Cora served as the Astros' bench coach in 2017 while Beltran was on the roster in his final season as an active player.

Manfred did not reveal an official timetable for the investigation's completion but said he hopes it's done before the 2020 season. The commissioner assured reporters the league is taking the investigation seriously, adding that although specific punishments have yet to be established, any resultant disciplinary action could prove severe.

"I'm not going to speculate on what the appropriate discipline is," Manfred said. "That depends on how the facts are established at the end of the investigation. The general warning I issued to the clubs, I stand by. It certainly could be all of those (past disciplinary actions), but my authority under the major league constitution would be broader than those things as well."

Asked if MLB was aware of Houston's alleged sign-stealing before last week, Manfred said that while the league has investigated rumors of impropriety and cheating in the past, those inquiries didn't reach "the depth and detail" of the current probe, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle.

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