Dodgers' Roberts wanted Red Sox scandal to end quietly after Mookie trade

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was hoping that Major League Baseball's sign-stealing scandal would be put to rest before the 2020 season.

The Dodgers acquired Mookie Betts and David Price from the Boston Red Sox this winter while the Red Sox were under investigation for illegally stealing signs during their 2018 World Series championship season. Despite being on the losing end of that Fall Classic, Roberts didn't want resentment to linger following the arrival of two former opponents with links to the scandal.

"I guess to be honest with you, after the Mookie/David trade, I was hoping that nothing really came out," Roberts said on the "Bleav in Dodgers" podcast. "Because I think that it's not going to change history, and going forward, I didn’t want it to bleed into '20."

In the end, no Red Sox players were punished for any wrongdoing. Instead, the team's replay system operator, J.T. Watkins, was banned for the 2020 season and is not allowed to resume his replay duties in 2021.

There was also no evidence that the illicit behavior continued in the 2018 playoffs, which put Roberts' mind at ease.

"I was concerned about the dynamic potentially impacting our clubhouse,” he said.

Along with Betts and Price, the 2020 Dodgers roster includes right-hander Joe Kelly, who pitched out of the bullpen for the Red Sox in 2018.

Los Angeles also lost the 2017 World Series to the Houston Astros. The Astros were found to have crafted a sign-stealing scheme that year that was used throughout the regular season and playoffs, resulting in the suspensions of general manager Jeff Luhnow, skipper A.J. Hinch, and former bench coach Alex Cora, who then served as Red Sox manager in 2018.