Sign stealing is illegal. What the Boston Red Sox were doing during Saturday's game against the San Diego Padres was completely legal. The Red Sox went viral for their competitive scouting while facing Padres pitcher Robert Suarez. The broadcast caught Boston comparing Suarez's windup from a previous game to what was occurring on the field. This, of course, is completely fine.
There is a gray area in professional baseball as it pertains to the use of video and scouting, especially during a game. Much like the NFL, Major League Baseball allows teams to use tablets during the game to adjust on the fly. This is common when teams are facing one of the better pitchers on any given team. Suarez has a 3.28 ERA as of this writing, so he surely qualifies.
Jomboy Media is affiliated with the Yankees, there is no denying that. The media company signed a contract with YES Network in 2022. Aaron Boone has routinely appeared on the company's Talkin Yanks podcast. That makes their post regarding the Red Sox very legal scouting all the more, uh, curious.
Cameras got an angle of a Red Sox coach showing images of the difference between Padres reliever Robert Suarez's setup when he's about to throw a fastball or a changeup pic.twitter.com/xWoA65Sy4X
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) August 10, 2025
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Why the Red Sox weren't caught cheating
The Red Sox (and Yankees AND Astros) have been fined for illegal video surveillance in the past. Odds are most MLB teams have broken the league's scouting rules in the past. That being said, the Red Sox behavior in the video Jomboy shared ought to be encouraged, rather than called out. It's unclear if it was Jomboy's intent to put the Red Sox on blast for correctly scouting Suarez, but the replies to said tweet quickly came to Boston's defense.
"Cameras got an angle of a Red Sox studying the game," one baseball fan wrote.
"Completely valid and legal. If your team doesn’t do anything like this, you are so behind," a Red Sox fan said.
There were many more where that came from. The video on the tablet is not from the same game, and rather a previous Suarez start. There are no rules limiting the Red Sox or Padres from studying previous tape during the game.
Why the Astros were a unique case in sign stealing
What made the Astros video replay system unique is twofold. First, Houston used an illegal camera in center field to help relay signs mid-game. Second the Astros used a trash can to let hitters know what pitch was coming in the middle of an at-bat. It's one thing to study opposing pitchers in the middle of a game on a tablet. It's another entirely to provide that information to a hitter in the middle of an at-bat.
Tipping pitches is legal, for example, but is often relayed from a baserunner to the hitter. Unless the pitcher receives some sort of notice that he is tipping pitches, opposing hitters have a huge advantage. However, by no means is that illegal.
Much like the Red Sox in-game scouting, if players or coaches are able to pick up on an advantage mid-game, it is up to the opposition to respond.