Boston Red Sox getting the cheating band back together

The Boston Red Sox have brought back former video replay coordinator J.T. Watkins, making him a scout in the organization.

It is not taking long for the Boston Red Sox to get the band back together. Alex Cora is back as the Red Sox manager, his season long suspension having been served. That result had been expected almost from the moment he was let go, especially if he would say the right things and show the proper amount of remorse for his actions.

On Tuesday, the Red Sox brought another part of the band back. J.T. Watkins, the former video replay coordinator who was suspended for 2020 due to his part in Boston’s cheating scandal, is back with the organization. This time, he will be working as a scout.

Interestingly, Watkins’ first assignment has some ties to Cora. He will be working for the Caguas Criollos in the Puerto Rican Winter League, a team coached by Ramon Vazquez – a coach on the Red Sox. Cora is a senior advisor to the team as well.

It is also interesting to note that while Cora was fired for his role in AstroGate, no such discipline had been given to Watkins. He was suspended for the 2020 season, as Cora had been, but the Red Sox did not fire him.

Likewise, it is entirely possible that Watkins will be back at his previous position in 2022. As part of his suspension, Major League Baseball stated that he could not work as Boston’s replay room operator in 2021, perhaps to remove any possible temptation to begin those hijinx once again.

This is also another example of the Red Sox conceding the moral high ground. They had said plenty of nice sounding platitudes in the wake of Cora’s being fired and the investigation into their own cheating scandal, but their actions have not matched those words. While Cora was expected back, and Watkins was not fired, one had to expect that the Red Sox would do something.

Instead, they are in the process of getting the band back together, appearances be damned.