Rob Manfred believes the recent sign-stealing scandal involves only the Houston Astros and that he could deliver major punishment beyond the standard fine and draft pick penalties if necessary.

While speaking Tuesday as the owners meetings began, Manfred called the allegations of technology-driven sign-stealing by the Astros "the most serious matter."

"Right now, we are focused on the information that we have with respect to the Astros," Manfred said. "I'm not going to speculate on whether other people are going to be involved. We'll deal with that if it happens, but I'm not going to speculate about that. I have no reason to believe it extends beyond the Astros at this point in time."

The maximum penalties Manfred has handed out include a $2 million fine and loss of their first two 2017 draft picks after a St. Louis Cardinals employee illicitly accessed the Astros' proprietary database, and a ban on international signings after an investigation into the Atlanta Braves' practices in Latin America.

"I'm not going to speculate on what the appropriate discipline is," Manfred said. "That depends on how the facts are established at the end of the investigation. The general warning I issued to the clubs, I stand by. It certainly could be all of those [past disciplinary actions], but my authority under the major league constitution would be broader than those things as well."