SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — In the spring of 2018, Royals general manager Dayton Moore delivered an edict to his players and staffers during his introductory address. Five months earlier, commissioner Rob Manfred had fined the Red Sox for using Apple Watches to relay the opposing team’s signs into the dugout. As Moore outlined his goals for the year, he mentioned the commissioner’s new restrictions on technology. The Royals would abide by them, Moore insisted.



I would rather lose 100 games, Moore told his organization, than break the rules.



Two years later, Moore chuckled as he recalled the meeting. “I wish I hadn’t said that,” Moore said. “Because we went on to lose (104) games.”



Moore told this story when asked a leading but pertinent question by The Athletic: If your team was cheating, would you know about it? The question arose from the findings of Manfred’s investigation into the Astros’ illegal...