Red Sox Barred From International Signings In 2016-17
BOSTON (CBS) -- The 2016-17 international signing period for Major League Baseball opens for teams on Saturday, but the Red Sox could be limited once the window opens.
UPDATE: Buster Olney tweeted Friday morning that the Red Sox have been barred from all international signings in the 2016-17 signing period.
"International baseball sources" have told Ben Badler of Baseball America that MLB could penalize the Red Sox before the start of the signing period. The penalties could include "making several of Boston's top 2015 international signings free agents," as well as restrictions on future signings.
The Red Sox are reportedly in line to sign "several Venezuelan players" on Saturday, including 16-year-old outfielder Roimer Bolivar, who ranks No. 31 on Baseball America's list of the top 50 international prospects in baseball.
Boston made a some relatively high-profile international signings in "package deals" in 2015, despite having exceeded their "bonus pool" for signing players. It's perceived that the Red Sox, through the package deals, were able to sign more expensive players for less money by initially offering more to cheaper prospects. "Package deals" are not explicitly against the rules, but MLB may view their practices as unethical or exploitative of loose restrictions.
The Red Sox thus became the subject of an MLB investigation in May. It remains unclear whether the Red Sox will actually be penalized, but MLB may seek to close loopholes and modify the rules to prevent similar actions taking place in the future.
Any potential penalties would not affect top second base prospect Yoan Moncada, whom the Red Sox signed last March before the 2015-16 international signing period began. Moncada's deal, which included a $31.5 million signing bonus, came after the Red Sox had already exceeded their bonus pool.
