Red Sox Sign-Stealing Rumors, Explained: Why Boston's Opponents Have 'Paranoia'

Are the Boston Red Sox unusually adept at sign-stealing this season? That's evidently becoming a growing concern for other teams.

As MassLive's Sean McAdam detailed on Friday, the Red Sox have been involved in at least three suspected incidents -- one each with the Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, and Houston Astros -- where an opposing team has believed Boston to be engaged in some sort of chicanery.

And whenever Alex Cora is involved in something like this, there's bound to be commotion, because of the Boston manager's involvement in the Houston Astros' electronic sign-stealing scandal, which earned him a one-year suspension in 2020, three years after the behavior was found to have occurred.

What do Red Sox opponents believe is going on?

Jul 23, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Boston Red Sox infielder Romy Gonzalez (23) hits a grand slam against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fifth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

All of these allegations concern the Red Sox picking up tells or pitch grips from opposing pitchers and relaying what pitch is coming to the batter at the plate. No one is accusing the Red Sox of using technology to steal signs, which was what got Cora and the Astros in hot water and eventually led to the widespread implementation of Pitchcom, which erases the need for the catcher making visual signals to the pitcher.

In Friday's piece, McAdam revealed that Red Sox players believe their opponents are constantly watching them for potential sign-stealing incidents, to the point where they may have created "paranoia" among their opponents.

"While using video or electronics to steal signs is expressly prohibited by MLB rules, the claims against the Red Sox involve tipping pitching or sharing “location,” the latter of which involves signaling to teammates where a catcher is set-up," McAdam wrote.

"Numerous Red Sox uniformed personnel did not wish to comment for this story on the record, though several spoke on the condition of anonymity. Several shared their belief that teams have sometimes given the Red Sox more credit than they deserve, as apparently was the case with the Astros recently. And when it was suggested that perhaps the Red Sox were now 'in the head' of opponents to the point of paranoia, one responded: 'Good! I hope we are.'”

As previously stated, no one seems to be accusing the Red Sox of anything illegal here. But McAdam noted that Cora's reputation is preceding him with Boston's opponents.

"Such practices are shrugged off as part of the game, but those practicing such dark arts frequently earn the ire of opponents. Cora is a known master of the practice, having learned how to detect the smallest details while spending a good chunk of his playing career in the dugout, quietly observing. Bench coach and Cora confidante Ramon Vazquez is another who has the same reputation."

Whatever the Red Sox have done over the last few weeks, it's working. It's highly doubtful they've gained a significant competitive advantage over the rest of the league because Cora is such a master pitch-tipping guru, but anything is fair game when technology isn't involved.