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Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora and New York Mets skipper Carlos Beltran could be interviewed as part of Major League Baseball's investigation into the Houston Astros' alleged sign-stealing, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich.

Rosenthal and Drellich reported "sources said both Cora and Beltran played a key role in devising the sign-stealing system the team used that season."

Cora served as the Astros' bench coach in 2017, the same season in which Beltran returned to Houston to finish out his playing career.

On Tuesday, Rosenthal and Drellich reported Houston stole signs during games at Minute Maid Park in 2017. Former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, who was one of four people with the franchise that season to allege the actions, said the team used cameras in the outfield to steal signs electronically.

The Astros allegedly used a television monitor near the team's dugout to pick up signs in real time and then would make noises, such as banging on a trash can, to relay the signs to the hitter at the plate.

Beltran told Joel Sherman of the New York Post on Tuesday that he was unaware of a camera in the outfield. He added that the Astros made a habit of studying opposing pitchers via computers.

He conveyed the same message to Rosenthal and Drellich:

"We took a lot of pride studying pitchers in the computer—that is the only technology that I use and I understand. It was fun seeing guys get to the ballpark to look for little details.

"(In) the game of baseball, guys for years have given location and if the catchers get lazy and the pitcher doesn’t cover the signs from second base, of course players are going to take advantage.

"I don't call that cheating. I call that using the small details to take advantage. I think baseball is doing a great job adding new technology to make sure the game is even for both teams."

Neither Cora nor Astros manager AJ Hinch commented on the matter.

Houston went 101-61 while winning the American League West during the 2017 regular season. Interestingly, the team posted a better record on the road (53-28) compared to at home (48-33). The Astros did, however, go 8-1 at home during the postseason en route to their first-ever World Series title.