The Boston Red Sox are in big trouble. On Friday, Major League Baseball levied sanctions against the team for violations committed during the 2015-16 international signing period. As a result, Boston will be barred from participating in the 2016-17 signing period, which begins July 2.
In addition, the contracts that five players signed with the Red Sox as a result of the violations will be voided. Those players include outfielders Simon Muzziotti and Albert Guaimaro, pitcher Cesar Gonzalez, and infielder Antonio Pinero. Other teams may now scout those players at a workout on July 5 in the Dominican Republic.
Contracts of five BOS prospects voided, including including OFs Simon Muzziotti, Albert Guaimaro, P Cesar Gonzalez, INF Antonio Pinero.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 1, 2016
Boston Red Sox Sanctioned over International Signings
The Red Sox essentially tried to work around their international signing cap. Because the team exceeded its allotted bonus cap in 2014, the league restricted the amount it could give to any one player in 2015. Boston attempted to circumvent this restriction by signing players to package deals. They signed multiple players who shared an agent, and then let the agent redistribute the contract money among the players. This strategy allowed them to sign players whose market value exceeded the team’s cap restriction for less than their market value. The players would eventually get their market value through the redistribution.
The agent then redistributed the money, with most of it going to Guaimaro and the other players getting an opportunity with the Red Sox.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 1, 2016
While package deals are not uncommon in Venezuelan signings, they still, in this case, constitute a violation of a league rule. This could potentially end up being severely detrimental to the organization. Though nobody can say if any of those prospects will pan out, some were very highly regarded.
Muzziotti and Guaimaro, in particular, could be huge losses. Baseball America ranked them as the 15th- and 24th-best international prospects during last July’s signing period. Any prospects that intended to sign with the Red Sox this year will have to look elsewhere for a shot in the Major Leagues.
These sanctions could also produce indirect consequences for other organizations. Package deals remain common in international signings. However, teams may look at the consequences the Red Sox now face and decide that such deals are no longer worth the risk. In turn, this could impact the players themselves. The process of negotiating with and signing international players could change dramatically, which could affect the chances of an international player breaking into Major League Baseball.
Main Photo:
