Report: MLB Investigating Red Sox Over International Signings
BOSTON (CBSNewYork) -- Major League Baseball is reportedly investigating whether the Boston Red Sox broke MLB rules when they signed several Venezuelan players in 2015.
Sources told Baseball America that MLB officials are focusing on whether the team signed players as package deals to circumvent rules on international bonus pools.
During the 2015-16 signing period, the Red Sox were not allowed to sign any player subject to the bonus pools for more than $300,000, a penalty for exceeding their allotment the previous year.
The Red Sox signed Venezuelan outfielders Albert Guaimaro and Simon Muzziotti, both ranked among the top 25 international prospects, to $300,000 bonuses. They also paid $300,000 to players who had the same trainers as Guaimaro and Muzziotti.
MLB officials visited the Red Sox's academy in the Dominican Republic last week and questioned some Venezuelan players, some as young as 16, about whether they were part of a package deal and whether they gave a portion of their bonuses to other players, Baseball America reported.
Baseball officials threatened to suspend any players who were not truthful and asked for banking information so they could investigate their accounts, sources said. Some players broke down in tears, according to the report.
