(KGTV) - The San Diego Padres have reportedly been pursuing free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer throughout the offseason, and two of their social media accounts suggested that they may have got their man.
Alas, the hopes of many Padres fans were dashed -- and Kansas City Royals fans probably breathed a sigh of relief, too -- when Padres officials confirmed their accounts were hacked.
On Wednesday night, the Padres' official Instagram account posted a caption-less photo of Hosmer. Around the same time, the Padres' official Twitter account tweeted Hosmer's handle @TheRealHos35 and then tweeted "Stay tuned" with the two eyes emoji.
Needless to say, many Padres fans, Royals fans or those who follow baseball were left wondering what the posts meant.
The posts were eventually deleted, but not before screenshots were taken.
#Padres posted a picture on Instagram of Eric Hosmer. Also tweeted stay tuned...
Both have now been deleted.#Padres must be close to either signing Hosmer, or firing their social media operators. pic.twitter.com/UcP2U0PUqi
— Mickey Koke (@mickeykoke) January 25, 2018
The #Padres are HELLA sketch rn on this Hosmer thing pic.twitter.com/TvPRlzcRg0
— MarcoGHST 👻 (@MarcoHuinquez) January 25, 2018
On Thursday morning, Padres officials issued the following statement on the incident -- on Twitter, no less: "The Padres social media accounts were inappropriately accessed last night, and messages that were inaccurate and unauthorized were posted. MLB Cybersecurity is now investigating the matter, and we apologize for any confusion."
The Padres social media accounts were inappropriately accessed last night, and messages that were inaccurate and unauthorized were posted. MLB Cybersecurity is now investigating the matter, and we apologize for any confusion.
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) January 25, 2018
According to multiple reports, the Padres have offered Hosmer a 7-year, $140 million deal. The Royals reportedly countered with a 7-year pact worth $147 million.
