Chicago Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward was incensed that New York Mets Shortstop Amed Rosario blocked his teammate from seeing the signs.

New York Mets shortstop Amed Rosario has always been praised for his baseball sense and his intelligence on the diamond. This was on display in Friday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs, when he stood in front of the runner on second base while catcher Devin Mesoraco was putting signs down for the pitcher.

This is a heads-up play by Rosario (who has rewarded the Mets’ patience with him by heating up as of late), as it allows the pitcher and catcher to set up the pitch without worrying about the signs being seen. However, outfielder Jason Heyward was angered by the play, yelling at the rookie shortstop from the batter’s box.

One must wonder why Heyward was so angered by Rosario. It didn’t prevent the runner from advancing on a batted ball, as Rosario was back in position by the time the pitch was thrown. It should have had no effect on Heyward’s at-bat.

Unless…

Unless Heyward has been relying on runners to steal signs for him while he plays for the Cubs. It would be the only reasonable explanation as to why the 28-year-old was so upset by something that was frankly none of his business.

For the record, if Heyward has been relying on teammates to steal signs for him, they’ve done a pretty bad job, as he’s only hit .245 since joining the Cubs.

To Rosario’s credit, he didn’t back down from Heyward, doing it again on the next pitch. Second baseman and early season surprise Asdrubal Cabrera yelled at Heyward too, which the announcers thought was him telling Heyward he shouldn’t be worried if he wasn’t stealing signs.

Although there is no rule against stealing signs in the rulebook, it’s generally considered to be taboo and is against the “unwritten rules” of the game.

Rosario’s efforts were in vain, as the Mets wasted a great effort by Zack Wheeler and lost to the Cubs, falling below .500 for the first time all season.

But this apparent violation of the code could lead to retaliation against Heyward by the Mets or Rosario by the Cubs.

I'm a student at Binghamton University. I'm a huge fan of the Mets, Rangers, Giants, and Jets, and will be covering them for the site, as well as fantasy hockey, football, and baseball. My twitter is @wmcine