Dodgers hire former Red Sox employee with ties to 2018 cheating scandal

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The Los Angeles Dodgers usually dominate headlines during the offseason with their big-name player acquisitions. 

This winter the team was relatively quiet, outside of one notable addition to the coaching staff. Los Angeles hired J.T. Watkins, who was employed by the Boston Red Sox during the franchise's controversial 2018 season. 

Watkins, a former Red Sox video replay coordinator, was suspended for the 2020 season for his role in illegal sign stealing. He later returned to the organization as a scout.

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Members of the Boston Red Sox walk toward the outfield during a 2018 World Series championship ring ceremony before an opening day game against the Toronto Blue Jays April 9, 2019, at Fenway Park in Boston. (Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images)

Before and after games, Watkins was responsible for decoding the opposing team's signs. Rules did permit that. But he also had access to live game feeds to "supplement or update" his work, the commissioner's office confirmed. The act of using in-game video to decipher signs crossed into the illegal range.

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Watkins would then pass along the information to the Red Sox dugout.

The commissioner's office ultimately ruled that the illegal sign-stealing methods were only used during the 2018 regular season and not in the playoffs. 

The Red Sox beat the Dodgers in the 2018 World Series.

The investigation also concluded there was insufficient evidence to show the team was involved in cheating during the 2019 regular season. Watkins was the only Red