Red Sox toed sign-stealing line with fishy behavior vs Padres' Robert Suarez

In baseball, there’s a fine line between gamesmanship and outright gamesmanship-that’s-just-a-little-too-convenient. On August 9, in a tight matchup between the San Diego Padres and Boston Red Sox, that line got blurry, and Padres fans have every right to raise an eyebrow.

In the top of the ninth inning, cameras caught a Red Sox coach with screenshots on their iPad. The images, reportedly, showed the difference in Robert Suarez’s setup depending on whether he was about to fire a fastball or a changeup. In other words, Suarez was tipping his pitches. And while spotting a tell is part of the game, the way Boston went about it is what raised questions.

Red Sox flirt with sign-stealing edge against Padres in blown save by Robert Suarez

On the surface, there’s nothing “illegal” here. MLB quickly jumped in to clarify that the Red Sox’s actions fell within league guidelines. Teams can, in fact, use iPads registered with the league to review advance scouting material during games. So, yes, technically this was all above board. But let’s not kid ourselves: moments like this are why fans roll their eyes when front offices and managers talk about “the integrity of the game.”

For Padres fans, it’s maddening because Suarez, one of the better relievers this season, had a rare slip that night. He blew the save, allowing a run on two hits and a walk in his inning of work. Did the Red Sox have him completely figured out by then? Maybe. Did it come from traditional, old-school “pick it up with your own eyes” scouting? You can decide that for yourself.

Look, no one’s saying the Red Sox committed a crime here. But it’s also not like they cracked the code with nothing more than a pair of binoculars and grit. This is just baseball in 2025, a constant cat-and-mouse game where the cat now carries an MLB-approved iPad.

Unfortunately, that’s the way it goes. The Padres still walked away with a win. They still need to clean up whatever tell Suarez was flashing, and move forward. But if you felt like Boston was skating right up to the edge of the sign-stealing line without stepping over it? You’re not alone.

The difference is, in October, when these games matter even more, those edges tend to sharpen.

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