Just when you thought the news about MLB’s investigation into the Braves’ international signings and the subsequent fallout that ultimately cost general manager John Coppolella his job was abating, along comes more details.
The initial reporting suggested that one of the primary causes of concern for Major League Baseball was around the signing of Kevin Maitan, which predictably caused Braves fans to go almost into a period of mourning that they could lose one of their most cherished prospects and certainly one that has among the highest upside in baseball.
However, as Ken Rosenthal from The Athletic reports, it was more than just the Maitan signing that has caught MLB’s attention.
Sources: Verbal agreement with 14-year-old in Dominican Republic one of allegations against #Braves. Story:... https://t.co/toRdKz4DpA
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 3, 2017
Yes, you read that correctly. In Rosenthal’s report, he outlines the case of one Robert Puason who is 14 years old and is not eligible to sign with any team until 2019. MLB is currently investigating whether or not the Braves violated any international signing rules as it is rumored that the Braves have already reached a verbal agreement with Puason.
Other key notes are that MLB’s initial investigation hasn’t shown any wrongdoing on the part of the Braves regarding their signing of Maitan, which is certainly good news on a day filled with bad news. His reports also suggest that there are several potential violations that MLB is looking into...which is certainly not good news for the Braves. His report also suggests that there are multiple clubs currently under investigation for similar transgressions.
This story keeps getting curiouser and curiouser and we will keep you all updated as this develops...although this particular writer hopes that things quiet down for at least eight hours or so.