Judge to Unseal Letter That Allegedly Shows MLB Hid Yankees Sign-Stealing

When it rains it pours, and right now Major League Baseball can't seem to weather the storm. On Friday, a New York federal judge ruled that a letter sent by commissioner Rob Manfred to the Yankees regarding the findings of an alleged sign-stealing scandal in 2017 should be unsealed.

The document claims that the MLB covered up the operation and that the Yankees want it to remain a secret because it would significantly impair their reputation, according to U.S. District Court judge Jed S. Rakoff.

"Embarrassment on the part of MLB or the Yankees about the precise contents of the letter is not particularly weighty," Rakoff wrote in a memorandum order filed on Friday.

The letter isn't permitted to be unsealed until June 19, so the club has a little less than a week to make an emergency appeal. Sources close to Brendan Kuty of nj.com claim that it's likely the Yankees will trigger that right.

The $5 million class-action lawsuit was filed by DraftKings participant Kristopher Olson with more than 100 other plaintiffs. Essentially, Olson is adamant that the letter proves the Yankees -- as well as the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, but that's besides the point -- were part of a scandal that involved more than just improperly using a dugout phone.

At the time of the lawsuit, Manfred fined New York and hit Boston with a larger financial penalty for illegally using an Apple Watch to obtain a Yankees catcher's signs.

This report obviously doesn't confirm anything, but this is without a doubt a terrible look for the Bronx Bombers. Stay tuned for updates as details will surely continue to be publicized.