A top Dominican baseball prospect, Cesar Altagracia, had a $4 million deal lined up with the San Diego Padres, however the MLB has found out he had falsified documents and is actually 19 years old instead of previously claiming to be 14 (per ESPN).
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Using a fake age, Altagracia represented the Dominican Republic at the U-12 Baseball World Cup in 2022 and also at the U-15 Pan American Championships this summer.
Notably, MLB teams start scouting players as early as 12 years old. And during the international free agency period each year, there is a race to sign up-and-coming teen prospects to deals.
Other players that have been signed by this system include: Juan Soto, Xander Bogaerts, Jose Altuve, Ronald Acuña Jr., Willson Contreras and Salvador Perez (per CBS).
All in all, since international players are not eligible to be signed until they reach 16 years of age, Altagracia's deal with the Padres was only sealed by a verbal agreement handshake. If Altagracia was indeed 14 years old, he would have been eligible to receive his signing bonus in 2027, but now that it was discovered that the teenager is five years older than initially thought, this deal may be off the table.
The MLB and Padres declined to comment on this situation, while the Dominican Baseball Federation is also investigating the matter.
What usually happens when players are caught lying about their age, the prospect is handed a one-year suspension before they are allowed to reapply.
Related: 6'10 12-Year-Old Mohamed Dabone Already Locked In At No. 1 Pick For 2030 NBA Draft
