Red Sox may have violated international signing rules

[gunnarthor]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/mlb-investigates-red-sox-over-international-signings/#uxro0gEpd4XJwOwY.97

 

Last year, the Red Sox were limited to offering no more than 300k to any international player yet still managed to sign a few top 30 prospects who were expected to sign for more.  From the article:

 

"According to several sources, MLB officials—including Nelson Tejada, the league’s manager of investigations—went to the Red Sox academy in the Dominican Republic last week and questioned several of those Venezuelan players individually about their signings. MLB officials asked the players whether they signed in a package deal, whether they gave part of their signing bonus to another player or received part of another player’s bonus, or why they signed for more or less money than might have been expected. Some of those players, according to one source, did acknowledge that they signed as part of a package deal.

The players, most of whom are still 16 or 17 years old, did not have their parents or any representation with them. According to multiple sources, MLB officials told the players that if they lied, the commissioner’s office would suspend them. They asked the players to give them their banking information and said they would investigate their bank accounts, according to those sources. Some of the players broke down in tears.

“They put a lot of pressure on them, like they were criminals,” said one source. “They’re trying to put pressure on the kids to talk to them.”"

 

The way baseball treats the international kids is a disgrace.

[biggentleben]

I wrote my first article for Call to the Pen on how the draft would be a major focus of the upcoming CBA. I believe the international market will be as well.

 

You best believe that there are incredible investigations into any possible misbehavior in the draft or signings going into the offseason CBA so they can have evidence of a broken system.

[gunnarthor]

Badler has more on it here - http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/mlb-investigates-red-sox-package-deals-are-nothing-new-for-international-players/#CkC1mkK7ccDbCKFD.97

[COtwin]

International kids, get to skip the draft and sign for the best they can get.  They don't have to compete with other players in the draft and have draft slot basically control the offers most clubs give them.  If this is true, the Boston Red Sox needs to pay a serious price.  I hate how Koreans, Japanese, Cuban, or Dominican players get to have a bidding war for their services, but US or Puerto Ricans have to deal with one team.  Everyone should have to go through the draft.

[Mike Sixel]

Or, no one should go thru the draft......and they should all get to pick where they work, or some kind of hybrid draft/FA thing where the worst teams get first bidding rights.

 

no one should go thru the draft, imo.

[biggentleben]

 

Or, no one should go thru the draft......and they should all get to pick where they work, or some kind of hybrid draft/FA thing where the worst teams get first bidding rights.

 

no one should go thru the draft, imo.

 

There's a lot of messy with that, too. For instance, how would the Twins field minor league teams?

[gunnarthor]

 

Or, no one should go thru the draft......and they should all get to pick where they work, or some kind of hybrid draft/FA thing where the worst teams get first bidding rights.

 

no one should go thru the draft, imo.

I think baseball probably wants to prevent the richest teams from getting all the talent but I'm not sure a draft solves all the problems.  But reading about how these 16-17 year old kids live and are treated, I want something to change.  I'm just not smart enough to figure out what the answer should be. 

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Even the Sano situation back in 2009 was pathetic and exploitative. And that Pittsburgh "scout" is still down in the Dominican working the same job if I'm not mistaken.

[Mike Sixel]

 

There's a lot of messy with that, too. For instance, how would the Twins field minor league teams?

 

There would still be limits and other things, there are ways to do a hybrid system, where players still get some choice, and more money, but the worst teams have advantages in acquiring talent. 

[gunnarthor]

 

Even the Sano situation back in 2009 was pathetic and exploitative. And that Pittsburgh "scout" is still down in the Dominican working the same job if I'm not mistaken.

Yeah, and I believe former pitcher Jose Rijos was busted stealing money from these kids as well.  

[Thrylos]

 

Or, no one should go thru the draft......and they should all get to pick where they work, or some kind of hybrid draft/FA thing where the worst teams get first bidding rights.

 

no one should go thru the draft, imo.

 

Been there done that 1900-1964, the first 65 seasons of the major leagues.  Without free agency as well... 

[Mike Sixel]

 

Been there done that 1900-1964, the first 65 seasons of the major leagues.  Without free agency as well... 

 

Without having any idea what i'm proposing, you just automatically assume I want to go back to the dark ages? Really?

[gunnarthor]

Sounds like mlb actually dropped a hammer on the Red Sox over this.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/07/red-sox-international-penalties.html

 

"The Red Sox have been banned from signing international amateurs that are subject to MLB’s bonus pools for the 2016-17 signing period, reports Yahoo’s Jeff Passan. Furthermore, five prospects that the Sox signed during the 2015-16 signing period have been declared free agents that are free to sign with new teams beginning tomorrow, though each player will retain the initial bonus money he received from Boston. Per Passan’s report, right-hander Cesar Gonzalez, outfielders Albert Guiamaro and Simon Muzziotti, and infielders Antonio Pinero and Eduardo Torrealba. ....

Stepping back and looking at this from the perspective of players on the upcoming international market, the punishment from MLB likely voids a fair number of agreements that were already in place between Boston and prospects out of Latin America. Badler recently reported that Venezuelan Roimer Bolivar, whom he had ranked as the No. 31 prospect on this year’s market, was expected to sign with Boston. Beyond that, the Sox were expected to sign shortstops Erik Pena and Raymond Mora as well as catchers Christian Longa and Wilfredo Astudillo. Now, that quintet of players (and presumably several more unreported teenagers) will be on the lookout for new clubs with which to sign. While they’ll undoubtedly find teams interested in paying them, their market may be more limited, as many clubs that aren’t planning to exceed their pool have likely already come close to maxing out their allotted spending limit with advance agreements."

 

Unreported in the article but this might also have a chilling effect on other teams make these kind of package deals going forward.