The World Series has the baseball-verse in a grip. It’s Game 6 after all, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are on the brink of elimination. But a leaked scandal from baseball’s past has suddenly resurfaced, taking away much of the spotlight from the thrilling game happening up north.

The Athletic has revealed a series of private communications that expose the under-the-table dealings between MLB officials and a player agent who appeared to betray the very athletes that he was meant to represent.

It all began on March 26, 2020, when the world was on lockdown and baseball was fighting for its own survival. The players’ union and league officials were locked in a tense negotiation over how much players should be paid for a shortened season. And at the center of it was Jim Murray, a well-known agent from Excel Sports Management.

Athletic revealed that Murray wrote to Manfred, “PLEASE do not give in regarding the [MLBPA’s proposed] October language. You will get the deal done without it.”

It’s crucial to understand that Murray is not just another agent. The firm he was representing was one whose reputation was built on representing stars like Derek Jeter and Clayton Kershaw. Now, according to the 71-page disciplinary letter and five-page memo that the Athletic highlighted, Murray was acting as a “mole” for the MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, and this team.

Instead of backing the players, Murray apparently sent texts advising the league to stand firm against the union proposals. Weeks later, on April 18, Murray texted MLB chief communications officer Pat Courtney. Courtney asked, “Is Clark saying players should be paid 100% in empty ballparks?” Murray’s response was cold, “You guys should just ignore it. Let Tony hang himself.” “Tony” refers to Tony Clark, the head of the players’ union.

The MLBPA said that those exchanges showed a “betrayal” of players and even revealed how far the owners and their representatives go to manipulate such negotiations.

Murray’s agent defends him amid the entire MLB ‘Mole’ Scandal

Sure, the Athletic revealed the details are shocking, but the story doesn’t end here. On Wednesday, Murray accepted a $100,000 fine and a four-year ban from serving as an MLBPA-certified agent. The ban prevents him from negotiating contracts or collecting fees, but he will still be allowed to manage players and their marketing affairs.

Now Murray’s attorney, Christina Sarchio, came quickly to defend him, saying the punishment was not a ban but rather a mutual resolution they had come to. “Within hours of the resolution—and on the same day that an article about the criminal investigation into the MLBPA was published—the MLBPA distributed selective information to players that tried to portray Mr. Murray as negatively as possible,” Sarchio said.

She also mentioned that the union failed to include Murray’s appeal, and that painted an incomplete picture. But the MLB Players Association did not hold back. In its memo to the players, the union claimed that Murray had become a “de facto member” of the commissioner’s bargaining team. They even accused him of forging a partnership with the MLB’s top brass.

The memo alleged that Murray discussed internal matters with Rob Manfred and communications chief Pat Courtney, deputy commissioner Dan Halem, and even economics expert Morgan Sword. And here is the deal—they are the group members who shape nearly all the decisions in MLB.

MLB seems to have been downplaying the scandal. But more questions are coming forth on whether Murray was a rogue agent or maybe just a fall guy in the larger scheme of things.