International shenanigans in Atlanta?

[jersey cubs fan]

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[jersey cubs fan]

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[Agony and Ivy]

 

Just for the sheer spectacle of it all I want this to somehow turn Acuna into a free agent.

[Cubswin11]

It's probably more than one case but could see Maitan being one of the main guys they pulled shenanigans with. They were oddly connected to him/had him agreed to really early and it was a given he'd just sign there.

[CyHawk_Cub]

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[davell]

Its a veritable "Wild West" type of mentality, when it comes to IFA's. For THIS stuff to get him fired, its got to be flat out ridiculous horsefeathers. Because everyone who participates in this market gets a bit dirty from time to time. I can't wait to find out what he did.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Its a veritable "Wild West" type of mentality, when it comes to IFA's. For THIS stuff to get him fired, its got to be flat out ridiculous horsefeathers. Because everyone who participates in this market gets a bit dirty from time to time. I can't wait to find out what he did.

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/chicken__puppet/status/914902314837729280[/tweet]

[davell]

Its a veritable "Wild West" type of mentality, when it comes to IFA's. For THIS stuff to get him fired, its got to be flat out ridiculous horsefeathers. Because everyone who participates in this market gets a bit dirty from time to time. I can't wait to find out what he did.

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/chicken__puppet/status/914902314837729280[/tweet]

 

1) Who is that an account of?

 

2) So, are we to take from that; that he's just THAT hated?

[Transmogrified Tiger]

It's just a baseball twitter person, and it's a reference to The Office.

 

The takeaway is that we might not want to rush to assume that Coppolella did something completely beyond the pale, he just might have been less careful and/or made more enemies in and out of his front office.

[Banedon]

The takeaway is that we might not want to rush to assume

 

You lost me.

[champaignchris]

Cardinal’s GM kept his job after one of his employees hacked into a competing team’s scouting database.

 

What could be so much worse than that, that the Brave’s GM resigned?

[davell]

Cardinal’s GM kept his job after one of his employees hacked into a competing team’s scouting database.

 

What could be so much worse than that, that the Brave’s GM resigned?

 

Based on Passan's tweets and what TT posted, quite possibly nothing. He may have just been this disliked, to where his own team sold him out.

[davell]

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Well.....This could potentially be nice, since we're not tied to any of the highest dollar guys in the next period, while the other big spenders all are.

[bukie]

 

Well.....This could potentially be nice, since we're not tied to any of the highest dollar guys in the next period, while the other big spenders all are.

I have my doubts that MLB is just going to allow a case study in salary suppression by just letting him go through FA.

 

EDIT: As Grant Brisbee illustrated:

 

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[CaliforniaRaisin]

Jeff Passan[/url]"]While the long-term fallout of Coppolella’s actions remains unclear, the focus of MLB’s investigation narrowed in recent days to the bundling of international amateur signing bonuses to circumvent spending restrictions, according to sources. The scope of the Braves’ scheme remains unclear, but a source familiar with it deemed it “significantly bigger” than a similar one employed by the Boston Red Sox in the 2015-16 signing period. To skirt rules that limited them to signing players for a maximum $300,000 bonus, Boston overpaid for bonuses on lesser players represented by the same buscon, or trainer, of more highly regarded players, to whom extra money was funneled. The five players signed in the scheme were declared free agents, and the Red Sox were banned from signing any international players for a year.

 

The Braves’ troubles could extend far deeper, according to sources. The investigation remains open and is expected to look into the signing of top prospect Kevin Maitan, a 17-year-old shortstop who received a $4.25 million bonus last year. If improprieties are discovered with Maitan’s signing, he, too, could be declared a free agent, according to multiple sources.

 

Though the investigation into the Maitan signing is incomplete, it could have the starkest impact on the organization. Maitan, a switch hitter scouts called the best amateur to come out of Venezuela since Miguel Cabrera nearly two decades ago, headlined a class that, alongside the Braves’ strong 2016 draft, turned around a farm system that had stumbled under Coppolella’s predecessor, Frank Wren, and prompted an organizational rebuild.

 

For months leading up to the July 2, 2016 signing date, Maitan spent a significant amount of time living in a two-bedroom apartment near Miramar, Florida, with another teenage amateur the Braves eventually would sign, a source familiar with the arrangement told Yahoo Sports. While it is unclear whether the Braves funded Maitan’s time in the United States, he and the other player did not share a buscon and would have been connected by a third party.

 

Illicit activity in the international market is rampant enough in baseball that contract agreements with players as young as 15, technically illegal, are accepted as industry standard and signed when the player is 16. Bundling of bonuses and bringing players to the U.S. to work out before signing are considered egregious enough for the league to crack down with sanctions.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

Well.....This could potentially be nice, since we're not tied to any of the highest dollar guys in the next period, while the other big spenders all are.

I have my doubts that MLB is just going to allow a case study in salary suppression by just letting him go through FA.

 

EDIT: As Grant Brisbee illustrated:

 

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When Boston was penalized a few years ago, their international players became free agents and were allowed to sign with any team as long as the team stayed within the confines of their bonus pool. I imagine if Maitan became a free agent, he'd still be subject to the bonus pools.

[Regular Show]

 

Well.....This could potentially be nice, since we're not tied to any of the highest dollar guys in the next period, while the other big spenders all are.

I have my doubts that MLB is just going to allow a case study in salary suppression by just letting him go through FA.

 

EDIT: As Grant Brisbee illustrated:

 

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When Boston was penalized a few years ago, their international players became free agents and were allowed to sign with any team as long as the team stayed within the confines of their bonus pool. I imagine if Maitan became a free agent, he'd still be subject to the bonus pools.

 

Yeah, I was just about to write the same thing about the players signed by the Red Sox who then became FAs. They were still subject to the bonus pools.

 

Even if K. Maitan and other players signed by the Braves become FAs I doubt we'll be able to sign them unless they're willing to wait. Man, the timing really sucks for us because we're still in the penalty phase right now, and I suspect we already have some deals in place for next July when we're finally able to spend again.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

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[Regular Show]

You know the more I think about this I'm starting to wonder how many other teams have done these bundle deals and/or other shenanigans to sign international FAs?

 

Honestly, call me naive but I don't think the Cubs did anything shady because we found that weird loophole involving Mexican prospects (only 25% of their signing bonus counts I believe) and we've been exploiting that heavily. Theo is smart enough to avoid doing anything stupid like these bundle deals. Doesn't seem that hard for MLB to get some good forensic accountants to follow the money/bundle deals and see which teams are skirting the rules.

 

Atlanta is going to get penalized really harshly this time around to send a message. Much harder on them than what the Red Sox's penalties were. Sucks to be a Braves fan right now...

[davell]

My point as to why this is potentially good news for us, is the fact that teams have bloiwn their money in this period and the big teams have already pot committed to next year too.

 

Maitan is young. He can easily wait until July 2nd to sign. Hell, short season ball doesn't even start until the middle of June as it is.

 

And I think there's no chance MLB opens the door up to letting him sign unrestricted.

 

My true question is whether the Braves could get their money back from the initial signing? What if its partially spent?

 

No idea how this could work out, but IF he's a FA again, we've got to be in as good of a spot as anyone, to sign him.

[Tim]

My point as to why this is potentially good news for us, is the fact that teams have bloiwn their money in this period and the big teams have already pot committed to next year too.

 

Maitan is young. He can easily wait until July 2nd to sign. Hell, short season ball doesn't even start until the middle of June as it is.

 

And I think there's no chance MLB opens the door up to letting him sign unrestricted.

 

My true question is whether the Braves could get their money back from the initial signing? What if its partially spent?

 

No idea how this could work out, but IF he's a FA again, we've got to be in as good of a spot as anyone, to sign him.

Heck, the investigation might take until spring before they make an announcement.

[Aaron_Kennelly]

Just pay him under the table in order to get him to wait. What's the worst that could come of it?

[davell]

You know the more I think about this I'm starting to wonder how many other teams have done these bundle deals and/or other shenanigans to sign international FAs?

 

Honestly, call me naive but I don't think the Cubs did anything shady because we found that weird loophole involving Mexican prospects (only 25% of their signing bonus counts I believe) and we've been exploiting that heavily. Theo is smart enough to avoid doing anything stupid like these bundle deals. Doesn't seem that hard for MLB to get some good forensic accountants to follow the money/bundle deals and see which teams are skirting the rules.

 

Atlanta is going to get penalized really harshly this time around to send a message. Much harder on them than what the Red Sox's penalties were. Sucks to be a Braves fan right now...

 

 

Most teams DO do these type of deals. And there's 100% nothing shady about the Mexican signings either. We've just concentrated on that market more than others. Once other teams do the same, the bonuses will go up accordingly, to where the Mexican teams profit much more, while the player receives his going rate. (Examplke- Albertos would receive his full 1.5 mill, instead of the 375k he got, and the team will receive 4.5 mill, not the 1.125 they got. Only a matter of time, once 80% of MLB realizes the talent their missing out on and it becomes more competitive)

 

But no, it'd be extremely hard for MLB to follow money trails on IFA's. Their handlers get money, they pay out in different ways and to different people. It's a logistics nightmare and doing bundle deals is damn near impossible to prove, considering how often they occur. The only time MLB is going to investigate is when its done at such alarming incompetence, that its warranted.

[Bote McBoteface]

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I really love this tweet. Beyond solid.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

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