Major League Baseball investigators used high-tech tools to collect the evidence that persuaded a dozen players to accept 50-game suspensions this week for their ties to the Biogenesis clinic.
The investigation included data from Facebook, BlackBerry instant messages and texts.
While there was not enough time for the union to thoroughly examine what baseball had collected, there was little doubt there was an electronic trail, according to a source.
"It both complicates things and adds a layer of proof that certainly wasn't available many years ago," union general counsel David Prouty said.
MLB officials would not speak for attribution about the investigation. The league used about 30 people full time in its fact-gathering.
Via Associated Press