The San Diego Padres say their social media accounts were hacked early Thursday and posts were made that suggested the team had either agreed to terms with free agent Eric Hosmer or that a deal was imminent.
"Messages that were inaccurate and unauthorized were posted," the team said in a statement. "MLB Cybersecurity is now investigating the matter, and we apologize for any confusion."
A photo of a smiling Hosmer in a Kansas City Royals uniform was posted on the Padres' Instagram account. It was deleted a few minutes later.
On the Padres' Twitter account, someone posted "Stay tuned ..." followed by a bulging eyes emoji, and then posted Hosmer's Twitter handle.
They also were deleted.
The Padres have offered Hosmer a seven-year deal.